Looking forward on schedule, Dana White says 'no shortage of stars in the UFC'

Jon Jones, Dana White and Anthony Johnson

UFC President Dana White believes there are plenty of fighters on the UFC roster capable of carrying a pay-per-view or headlining a fight card.

“There are no shortage of stars in the UFC,” White told UFC.com.

The amount of star power on the UFC roster has fluctuated over the years. UFC 100, the promotion’s reported all-time highest selling pay-per-view, came at a time when the organization boasted names like Brock Lesnar, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, B.J. Penn and Georges St-Pierre, among others.

As time moves forward, those names have either moved on and are competing elsewhere or have hung up their gloves. As the previous generation fizzles, new draws have emerged to fill the void.

Jon Jones, Chis Weidman, Anderson Silva, Cain Velasquez, Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey are among the names capable of turning heads and building interest in the current climate.

While it’s still early in the year, the UFC is on track to top its 2014 marks for pay-per-view buys (based on published reports, since the promotion doesn’t go public with the official numbers), television ratings, live gate dollars and attendance. The UFC has started its year with pay-per-views headlined by big names like Jones, Silva and Rousey.

There are many more significant fights on tap for the rest of the year, but one event in which White believes proves the current star power of his roster is UFC 187 on May 23 in Las Vegas.

Two championship bouts are scheduled with Jones set to put his light heavyweight title on the line against Anthony Johnson, while Chris Weidman will attempt to defend his 185-pound strap against Vitor Belfort.

Below the two title fights are a number of familiar names and relevant matchups. Injuries have made it difficult to put together similar star-studded events of late, but assuming it stays together, White believes UFC 187 is a perfect example of what a UFC card can look like when constructed at the highest quality.

“We’ve got nothing but great fights lined up right now,” White said.

For more on UFC 187, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Filed under: News, UFC