By Duane Finley and Hunter Homistek

FloCombat believes all matters can be settled through healthy debate.

So when our fearless editor, Duane Finley, let it slip that he believes UFC 100 is still the best UFC card of all time, I knew it was time to chuck off the (metaphorical) gloves and throw down (using big-boy words).

As part of an ongoing series, "The Counter,” we'll tackle various subjects within the sport of MMA, settling scores in a back-and-forth, one-on-one format.

Debating out of the blue corner will be myself, Hunter Homistek, riffing out of Pittsburgh. In the red corner is Mr. Finley, sounding off from beautiful Indianapolis.

Today's debate: Is UFC 100 or UFC 200 the best card of all time?

Round 1: Debate!

Hunter Homistek: I’m going to shoot it straight, boss: I feel like I just walked in on my dad dancing to Britney Spears or something. This is embarrassing. You know I love ya, but this is too much. You’re saying UFC 100 is better than UFC 200? Really?

Duane Finley: Listen here, young whippersnapper. I’m an old man, and when you get up in years, there tends to be an appreciation for how things used to be. I mean, you were still in footed pajamas when Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar invented MMA, and they walked uphill both ways to do it.

Nostalgia is a big part of my reverence, but it isn’t the only reason I hold UFC 100 over the upcoming card. On that beautiful night, we saw Jim Miller paint a crimson masterpiece against Mac Danzig; Dan Henderson go all ‘Merica on FUTURE middleweight champion Michael Bisping; and Brock Lesnar spit and froth at the mouth after pummeling Frank Mir. Oh, and three little letters, “GSP," which translates from French into “excellence.”



Hunter: You know I don’t speak French, so I’ll take your word on that one. I expected you to make some points, but I can’t believe you’re sticking to your guns. You know who’s still on the UFC 200 card? Brock Lesnar. You know who else? Jim Miller. Literally half the people you mentioned are still fighting at UFC 200.

And that’s not even the start of it. Jon Jones—who you yourself said is the greatest of all time the last time we had a debate—is fighting Daniel Cormier in a rematch. Gegard Mousasi vs. Derek Brunson. Joe Lauzon vs. Diego Sanchez on the freakin’ undercard! UFC 100 cannot compete with this from top to bottom.

Duane: I’m also very much aware of how the depth of the card will factor into this argument. I’m willing to give you that line because UFC 200’s lineup is sick. One thing I do want to point out is future pound-for-pound great (and the man I believe to be G.O.A.T.) Jon Jones was on the undercard of UFC 100. He choked the life out of poor Jake O’Brien and showed flashes of the fighter we could come to know well.

And while I do love me some Sage Northcutt, I just don’t think 200 has the flash of a future star in the midst. As you pointed out, half of the people I mentioned in my first swing are competing at UFC 200, but are they the same or better versions of what we saw at UFC 100? I don’t know if that can be said.

Sage is a handsome beast, though. I mean, those abs are spectacular.



Hunter: Fair play, and I agree that there’s nobody I see at UFC 200 and say, “Wow, that’s a future star.” And that’s not even a bad thing, because the UFC promised us the biggest, baddest card of all time, and that’s what they delivered. Prospects don’t, as they say, move the needle.

So they wanted to produce a bang, and by golly, did they do it here. Here’s a number that’s going to trump everything you’ve said or will say about UFC 200: nine. That’s how many current or past UFC champions are on the card. The number inflates if you include other organizations, where guys like Mousasi and Takanori Gomi were champs, but for our purposes: nine. That’s—you’ll like this—bonkers!

Duane: Look at you throwing around numbers like I can read and using my phrase! If I didn’t love you, I’d cyber-slap you, Stockton-style. Listen, making this case is tough because I absolutely love UFC 200. Just the main card alone with all the title fights, and more importantly, bouts that all play huge factors in their respective divisions, is enough to get Ole Bocephus doing the “Hurricane Duane Dance.”

Yet, circling back to my original point, there was just something special about the timing and build up to UFC 100. Some in the MMA media were still wearing Affliction shirts to cover events and this thing of ours was surging at the biggest high point we’d ever experienced. Lesnar and St-Pierre carried that thing to the first million-plus pay-per-view draw and the sport’s popularity was exploding.

So in closing, I’ll yield to certain factors about UFC 200 outdoing its predecessor, but UFC 100 simply holds too special a place in my frigid heart to be trumped. Did I mention Georges St-Pierre was on that card?



Hunter: I remember you saying something about GSP, but honestly, I was a little groggy because I fell asleep halfway through reading his name. It’s an effect he has on me.

Duane: That’s the exact response I would expect from someone who has never watched "Star Wars" and required the threat of violence to finally watch "The Godfather." And I’ll end things with a line from another cinema classic….You just got served.

Hunter: Is that “Hit Me Baby One More Time” I hear? You just can’t stop embarrassing yourself, can you?

Duane: It’s what I do best. Ask your mom.

Hunter: You’re unbelievable. I have to end this before your legs get too tired from walking this uphill battle. I know it’s tough on the old knees.

To officially close out this debate, let’s join ourselves in the present and agree on one thing: Both of these cards are loaded, and they’ll stand the test of time. When the UFC says it’s going big, it delivers.

What say you, reader? Which card reigns supreme: UFC 100 or UFC 200? Leave a comment or hit us up on Twitter @FloCombat to voice your opinion.