Watching this promo video for the WEC’s Urijah Faber-Jens Pulver bout on Sunday, I was all set to praise the clean, understated style. This is a nice break from the monster-truck-rally feel of a lot of promos, I thought. Then I got to the 0:46 mark, where they explicitly promise that this will be “the greatest cagefight in history.”

Let’s ignore the fact that “cagefight” is not, as Walter Sobchack would say, the preferred nomenclature. Instead, let’s ask who thought it was a good idea to make a claim that attempts to predict the future while simultaneously setting viewer expectations unreasonably high?

I think the Faber-Pulver match-up will produce an exciting fight, but now that I’ve seen that promo I’m going to be really disappointed if, once it’s over, I manage to think of even one bout in cagefighting history that was better. Why not aim just a little lower? Like, “greatest cagefight this week”. Or maybe, “one of the top twenty or so cagefights in recent memory”? I guess this is why I don’t work in marketing. Plus, those types always want you to wear a tie and pants and stuff. Squares.

Anyway, if you’re up for more gross exaggerations of the future, Versus is airing their “WEC Outside the Cage” special again tonight at 6 pm. It should be the greatest pre-fight hype special in history.