Harvey presents his ideal UFC card

Finally, I come around to part two of showing Harvey Barefoot's love for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  When he was at UFC 200 in Las Vegas earlier this month, he spoke to fans and the media about how his own interest as a fan has grown, and about the current state of UFC.

He also wanted to honor the promotion's history by revealing what he thought the ideal pay-per-view card would look like.  It would have 12 matches - five on the main card and seven preliminary matches, split between Fox Sports 1 and the UFC Fight Pass streaming service.

Harvey first wanted to pit fighters from different eras against each other; however, he also had to take weight classes and gender into account, so some matches had to be set up under other criteria.

The card Harvey made is as follows:
Main card (pay-per-view)
Light-heavyweight: Chuck Liddell vs. Jon "Bones" Jones
Harvey thinks this is the equal of if Muhammad Ali took on Joe Louis in boxing.  These are two of the most important stars in UFC history and their primes are about a decade apart.  Liddell was involved in memorable matches against Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson among his seven PPV appearances.  Jones defended his light-heavyweight title five consecutive times and might still be champion today if not for legal problems and failed drug tests.
Heavyweight: Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar II
Couture was UFC champion as both heavyweight and light-heavyweight and crossed over to be a movie actor (The Expendables).  Lesnar, a champion in NCAA college wrestling and WWE as well as UFC, defeated Couture at UFC 91 in 2008 to win the heavyweight championship.
Bantamweight(women): Ronda Rousey vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino
Rousey so impressed UFC president Dana White that the organization bought the Strikeforce promotion just to get her contract!  Rousey then was awarded the inaugural bantamweight title and defended it three times before she was upset by Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015.  During her title reign, Rousey became the face of UFC and a symbol of women's empowerment.  Cyborg, who may well be the second-best female fighter today, made her UFC debut at UFC 198 in May 2016.
Middleweight: Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping
Bisping and Silva are first and second on the all-time list for most wins in UFC fights.  Despite Bisping's success, he was not given a title shot until UFC 199, when he defeated champion Luke Rockhold as an injury replacement.  Silva's career was derailed by drug use and a broken leg, but he did come back to face Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 on just two weeks notice (he lost).
Lightweight: B.J. Penn vs. Conor McGregor
McGregor, one of today's biggest superstars, holds the record for quickest victory in a title defense (he beat José Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194).  Penn was one of the promotion's biggest stars throughout the mid-2000s.
Undercard (Fox Sports 1)
Welterweight: Georges St.-Pierre vs. Matt Hughes III
St.-Pierre defeated Hughes at UFC 65, then again at UFC 79.  Hughes may have been the first fighter to write an autobiography, Made In America.
Light-heavyweight: Royce Gracie vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Gracie was UFC's first real star, having won two of the first three tournaments.  More importantly, he probably set the blueprint for what the sport of mixed martial arts is today.  Jackson, a champion in PRIDE, UFC, and Bellator, is best known for his wolf-like howl as he entered the ring and after each win.
Bantamweight: José Aldo vs. Dominick Cruz
Both Aldo and Cruz are former champions and mainstays on UFC pay-per-views over the last half-decade.
Strawweight(w): Tecia Torres vs. Carla Esparza II
This would be a rematch of the finale of The Ultimate Fighter in season 21, which Esparza won.  It's the only season in the franchise in which the tournament decided a champion; in this case, the first-ever UFC strawweight title.
Undercard (UFC Fight Pass)
Catchweight: Tito Ortiz vs. T.J. Dillashaw
Ortiz, one of the biggest stars ever as welterweight, takes on Dillashaw, a former featherweight champ, in another "battle of the ages."  Ortiz faced the likes of Liddell, Ken Shamrock, and Vitor Belfort, while Dillashaw was an alumnus of The Ultimate Fighter.
Heavyweight: Mark Coleman vs. Cain Velasquez
Coleman was the first UFC heavyweight champion, while Velasquez reigned as champion twice about 15 years after Coleman did.
Bantamweight(w): Miesha Tate vs. Bethe Correa
Tate and Correa are two of the best female fighters in UFC history.