How do we get a stacked card like UFC 211? Some effort and a little dumb luck

As great as it is to get a stacked UFC card, it’s often an accident it happens that way.

So when it comes to Saturday’s UFC 211 event – one of the promotion’s more well-rounded cards in recent memory – thank the matchmakers for pairing good combatants, and perhaps dumb luck for bringing it all together.

“What people don’t understand is that there are so many variables going on,” UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby said in a rare public appearance for a video breakdown of the pay-per-view card, which takes place at American Airlines Center in Dallas. “Sometimes, there’s a great number of fighters available, and sometimes there’s no amount of fighters available. The show must go on. So you’ve got to understand, we’re always trying to put the best possible card forward, and it’s times like this where all the stars align, and you just end up with a fantastic card.”

UFC matchmakers Shelby and Mick Maynard are acutely aware of the scrutiny their choices invite. They know that whatever they do, someone with a Twitter account will probably be unhappy with it. Still, they put together fights and try to appease fans and haters alike. The way UFC 211 came together, Shelby said, the unusual amount of good fortune behind the scenes gave them a pretty good shot.

Take the highly anticipated fight between Eddie Alvarez (28-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Dustin Poirier (21-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC), which headlines the FX-televised preliminary card following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass. According to Shelby, Alvarez, the former champ and No. 4 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, was on the verge of taking a break from the sport, no doubt thanks to the uncertain future of champ Conor McGregor, the man who so viciously took his belt this past November. Poirier, meanwhile, had gotten banged up in a UFC 208 victory over Jim Miller and wanted to take an extended leave. If he were going to make a quick turnaround, he wanted a big fight, and quickly. So Shelby got on the phone and did what he does.

“I said to his manager, ‘This is a fantastic fight,'” the longtime UFC matchmaker said.

There was probably a little more to it than that. But whatever he said, it worked, and the top-tier lightweights are squaring off in a bout Shelby said could put the winner in striking distance of gold.

“I mean, just on paper, forget everything else – this is an amazing fight,” he said. “And it does have title implications because it’s so highly ranked. So it’s a fun fight, and it’s a co-main-event-type fight. It’s such amazing firepower, and I don’t think it’s going to go the distance.”

Having put together hundreds of fights and seen countless promotional cycles, Shelby is no doubt aware that guaranteed slugfests often turn into tactical snoozers. But you can’t blame him for being a little more optimistic than usual, given the array of talent on deck. Maybe that’s why he appeared to wince when UFC commentator Jon Anik’s sendoff included, “Hopefully it stays together.”

After all, no one wants their luck to run out.

Watch the above video for a breakdown of the card.

And for more on UFC 211, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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