Reported by Sam Caplan of cbssportsline.com This past weekend, Fighting Entertainment Group made the first attempt by a fight promotion at holding a major mixed-martial arts show at an outdoor stadium in the United States. From both a financial and quality perspective, the show was a total failure.

But if UFC president Dana White’s comments several weeks ago during a pre-UFC 71 conference call are any indication, Zuffa could be the next fight company to attempt a major outdoor MMA extravaganza.

White expressed his desire for the company to eventually hold an outdoor show at the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium in Hawaii. He gave no timetable for when a card will be scheduled and the UFC is not expected to promote a card in Hawaii until the state regulates MMA.

MMA cards currently take place in Hawaii on a regular basis but state rules do not require the shows to be regulated. Aside from holding shows in Europe, the UFC wants to avoid putting on fight cards in areas where MMA is not regulated.

During the same conference all, White also mentioned a separate idea to hold a global PPV card that would be available around the world on a live basis.

All of White’s grand plans got my head spinning. FEG had a vision but couldn’t deliver, but what if the UFC was able to succeed where FEG had failed?

After brainstorming just for the fun of it, I began to feverishly jot down a potential fight card that could not only sellout Aloha Stadium, but would do record pay-per-view business across the globe. Every match would be a potential main event and the UFC would break from tradition and televise every match for this special, once-in-a-lifetime show.

Since this so-called mega-card I had devised takes place in the land of make believe, I had to assume a few liberties. For one, I envision the card taking place at the end of December, which is becoming the time for UFC’s biggest show of the year.

It’s also uncertain whether MMA will be regulated in Hawaii by that point, and it’s highly doubtful the UFC could put on a card of such size in such a short time span. Yes, I know, FEG put its stadium show together quickly, but we all know how that worked out. So while there are logistical concerns as far as timing and scheduling, let’s put those aside for now.

While I took certain liberties in constructing this fight card, I did give myself some limitations. One, I would have to have a legitimate explanation why a fighter currently not contracted Zuffa could appear on the card.

Second, not every major UFC name could appear on this card. After all, cards will be held in October and November and fighters appearing on those cards likely won’t be ready to fight again on such short notice.

Based on UFC’s summer plans, I’m anticipating a middleweight title defense headlining the October show and a welterweight title defense by Matt Serra against Matt Hughes serving as the main event for the November show.

Now, with all that out of the way, I’m finally ready to reveal my dream UFC stadium show card.

Opening Match: Joe Stevenson vs. Tyson Griffin

The UFC light heavyweight division is stacked right and there really doesn’t appear to be much of a pecking order. The UFC needs to bring some clarity to the division by having top lightweight contenders start to fight each other. Thus far, the vast majority of lightweight bouts we’ve been offered have been nothing but showcase matches. What we need are some lightweight wars. Tyson Griffin vs. Frank Edgar at UFC 69 was a match-of-the-year candidate but it wasn’t expected to be. In fact, the bout didn’t even air on live television (it was shown on tape-delay). On paper, a Stevenson vs. Griffin match has the potential to be a classic. They are similar and have outstanding wrestling ability. Styles make fights, and while we might not see great standup action, we could potentially see some great chain wrestling. Not to mention, this would be one amazing opener.

Second Match: Mike Swick vs. Kendall Grove

OK, maybe this isn’t a main-event match. But it isn’t a bad one. Plus, you need to have some hometown heroes on the show in order to boost attendance and garner local promotion. I’m not sure if Grove is a draw in Hawaii, but he’s a native and could be utilized in a public relations role. As for the fight itself, I think it would be very interesting. Grove has the reach advantage but doesn’t have the strength advantage that Yushin Okami had over Swick during their fight at UFC 69. Grove has also had quite a few easy matchups made for him and it’s time for him to be tested, and a match with Swick seems like a natural progression.

Third Match: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Dana White announced during a pre-UFC 71 conference call that Shogun is indeed on his way to the UFC. Sokoudjou’s future is a little less certain. After converting from judo, he has experienced a meteoric rise in the World of MMA with convincing upset wins in Pride over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona. Training under the watchful eye of Dan Henderson with Team Quest in Temecula, Calif., I think it’s safe to assume he will become part of the Zuffa family at some point. A showdown between these two dynamic fighters seems realistic as Sokoudjou has called out Shogun in several interviews. Novice MMA fans may not be overly excited about this matchup because of their unfamiliarity with the two, but they are the future of the light heavyweight division and loyal Pride fans would go crazy for this fight.

Fourth Match: Urijah Faber vs. Kid Yamamoto for the WEC Featherweight title

Faber’s star has increased tenfold in recent months thanks to the WEC’s tremendous marketing push. Faber is every bit as good as the hype, possibly being the most untouchable champion in MMA right now. The only concern is that "The California Kid" could outgrow the WEC’s current platform on the Versus network. Since Zuffa owns the WEC, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see Faber defend his WEC Featherweight title on a UFC card. The only man standing between Faber and the claim that he’s the best 145-pounder in the World is Japanese amateur wrestling standout Kid Yamamoto. Yamomoto is currently under contract to K-1 and has been idle as he recovers from injuries sustained while competing for a spot on the Japanese Olympic wrestling team. However, he should be back in action by December and agreeing to a deal with K-1 that would him to compete on a UFC card wouldn’t be unprecedented. Royce Gracie was under contract to K-1 when he fought Matt Hughes last May at UFC 60, but Zuffa was able to broker a deal with FEG (the parent company of K-1 and Hero’s). Not only would this be a dream match, but Yamomoto is a huge star in Japan so this bout could also be marketed to the Japanese audience.

Fifth Match: Roger Huerta vs. Gilbert Melendez

A match between "El Nino" (Melendez) and "El Matador" (Huerta) has tremendous commercial appeal to a Latin American audience. Melendez is another Pride fighter who finds himself in a state of purgatory. However, the California-native is one of the top lightweight fighters in the World and could easily achieve stardom in the U.S. Huerta is already reaching levels of stardom in the U.S. and is a personal favorite of Dana White. He’s 3-0 since arriving to the UFC but has yet to fight a top contender. Melendez would be a tremendous test and the two could put on a candidate for match of the year.

Sixth Match: Diego Sanchez vs. Karo Parisyan

When you do a stadium show you have to think big, and a rematch between Sanchez and Parisyan would be big after they had what many considered to be the match of the year in August of ‘06 during UFC Fight Night 6. Sanchez won the bout via unanimous decision but lost his last match to Josh Koscheck at UFC 69. Meanwhile, Parisyan has rebounded with back-to-back wins so a case can easily be made for a rematch.

Seventh Match: Sean Sherk vs. B.J. Penn for the UFC Lightweight title

I’m projecting a little bit with this matchup, but Penn is a native Hawaiian and would be a tremendous local draw so it’s imperative he’s in a high-profile match on any UFC show that takes place at Aloha Stadium. Penn needs to beat Jens Pulver at the live finale of The Ultimate Fighter on June 23 and Sherk needs to successfully defend his title against Hermes Franca at UFC 73 on July 7. The two would then need to be put on ice for several months, but the UFC is doing it with Matt Serra and Matt Hughes so an extended delay to protect a match between Sherk and Penn wouldn’t be out of a question.

Eighth Match (co-main event): Quinton Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell for the UFC Light Heavyweight title

Like Sherk vs. Penn, I’m projecting again. Jackson needs to get past Dan Henderson and Liddell seems destined to finally fight Wanderlei Silva. But the bottom line is that the UFC light heavyweight division is the promotion’s most commercially-viable division. That means that a defense of the light heavyweight title has to be on this card whether it be Jackson vs. Liddell III, Jackson vs. Silva, or Henderson vs. Silva, or Henderson vs. Liddell. Out of all the possible matchups, I think another go-round between Jackson and Liddell has the most box-office potential.

Ninth Match (main event): Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko for the UFC Heavyweight and Pride Heavyweight titles

I want to stay true to my rule that any fighter not currently under contract to Zuffa appearing on this imaginary card at least has a realistic chance of signing in the near future. White has stated several times that talks are ongoing with Fedor, and Fedor has confirmed as much in interviews with the Russian press. If he does sign, the UFC should book him the exact opposite of how they handled Cro Cop. Once the ink is dry on his deal, let him immediately pass go and collect his $200 and put him in a title unification match. But first, Couture needs to get past Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 on August 25. In the land of make believe, we’ll give Couture the win vs. Gonzaga, setting up the clash with Fedor. As big of a fan as I am of Captain America, I still don’t think he has a shot at beating Fedor. But from a marketing standpoint, this matchup is pure gold.

A card like this would have more star power than another event that takes place at Aloha Stadium: the NFL Pro Bowl.

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