I'll take it a step further, there's no big fights in a shallow promotion.
Listen, I love shitting on the UFC as much as anyone else, but they really have tried when it comes to promoting any semi-marketable fighter in that division. (By marketable, I mean a feminine woman who speaks English, lets be real)
Examples of 115lb fighters the UFC has done the best they could with, in my opinion:
- JJ: She is at best OK looking when dolled up and her English is broken but good enough. KInda quirky woman. They have put a lot into her marketing, as they should and I think they have done the best they can with what they had to work with.
- Rose: The UFC were planning on her being the next Ronda after TUF20 and really got they PR machine behind her. Then she lost to Esparza, which was bad. Then she cut her hair which was real bad. Then she decided to double down on the
"nature loving hippy who speak Ebonics" persona which is even worse. NONE of that can be blamed on the UFC. Once, again, they have done the best they can.
- Tecia: Personality of a block of wood. Nothing for the UFC to work with.
- Claudia and Andrade: Good looking girls, but they sound like 5 pack a day long haul truckers with broken English. Very hard to market.
- Karolina: Beautiful and exciting fighter. But the worst English of any of them, which makes it tough.
- Waterson: The whole package and the UFC knows it. They have marketed the hell out of her but injury and now the loss to Rose is out of their control.
- Calvillio: Fiesty personality, english speaker and ok looking. The UFC is really pushing her and doing a good job, I think.
- Paige Vanzant: They really went all out on her, but the losses have really taken a toll.
I guess my point is, the UFC is working with what they have as far as promotion goes. Not everybody has that "it" factor and even fewer who can be champs have it.