UFC 200, held on July 9, 2016, was envisioned as a landmark event for the promotion, a successor to the highly successful UFC 100. Like any major milestone card, it was intended to feature the sport`s biggest stars in blockbuster matchups. Naturally, given his meteoric rise and status as the biggest draw, Conor McGregor was central to early discussions for the event.
However, the path to UFC 200 proved unexpectedly turbulent. What was meant to be a showcase of top talent became an exercise in logistical damage control. The originally anticipated main event involving Conor McGregor was scrapped following a dispute over promotional obligations. A highly anticipated rematch between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier was then booked to fill the void, only for Jones to be pulled from the card just days beforehand due to a potential anti-doping violation. This left the promotion scrambling to find a suitable headliner for their historic event, ultimately elevating the women`s bantamweight title fight between Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes to the main event slot.
Amidst this backdrop of uncertainty and last-minute changes, a moment of unexpected humor surfaced from none other than UFC President Dana White. Months before the card solidified into its final form, White took to social media with a playful suggestion for a potential McGregor opponent. The source of this unlikely candidate? A viral video circulating online that depicted a bizarre street fight involving costumed individuals, most notably featuring someone dressed as Spider-Man who displayed surprisingly effective grappling technique against opponents dressed as Batman and Robin.
White, perhaps acknowledging the sheer spectacle such a matchup would represent or simply indulging in a lighthearted moment, jokingly proposed bringing the `friendly neighborhood` viral sensation into the Octagon to face `The Notorious` at UFC 200. It was a concept so absurd it highlighted the lengths one might imagine going to secure a truly attention-grabbing fight for such a significant card.
Conor McGregor`s coach, John Kavanagh, known for his wit, quickly responded to the hypothetical booking. Playing along with the comedic premise, Kavanagh humorously indicated that he would refuse to corner his fighter against a beloved New York icon like Spider-Man. The brief, public exchange served as a amusing aside, showcasing the personalities involved and their ability to find levity even within the intense world of fight promotion.
The irony of this humorous pitch, of course, is amplified by the real-world difficulties the UFC faced in securing and keeping a main event for UFC 200. While Dana White`s suggestion was purely in jest and based on a viral internet clip, the promotion genuinely found itself in need of a `hero` – or at least a stable, high-profile fight – as its planned headliners fell through. The notion of a fantastical, unexpected opponent arriving to `save the day` humorously mirrored, in the most absurd way possible, the promotional challenges the UFC was actively navigating.
Ultimately, the card proceeded without any costumed superheroes, headlined instead by a pivotal women`s title fight that marked the beginning of Amanda Nunes` dominant reign. The `Spider-Man` pitch remains a peculiar, humorous footnote in the chaotic, star-crossed history of UFC 200`s build-up, a reminder that sometimes reality is stranger than fiction, and even professional fight promoters appreciate a good, preposterous joke.
Gareth Pendleton