UFC 58

UFC sucks...I prefer my fighting choreographed and pre-determined, thank you very much...

 

Franklin trains like a beast, hes gona dominate unless injury becomes a major issue.

 

With Spike showing UFC regularly now, I think the popularity of UFC is growing rapidly. Given the right marketing and enough time, I could see it becoming more popular than boxing, which is really more of a testament to how horribly professional boxing has been handled over last decade or so. That sport is about as corrupt as it can get. Way, WAY too much money.

 

Awww, man... so you hate my Mexican wrestling, too...

 

This is coming from an MMA fan, but that's what people have been saying for years and honestly it's still not even close to being as popular as boxing or even wrestling yet.

You look at the popular fights that the UFC bills as being the thing to put them in the mainstream, and you know which ones they are? It's the slugfests taht are essentially bare knuckles boxing matches anyway.

The other thing that the UFC has going against it for breaking through to the mainstream is that its fighters are all roid-pumped to hell. Their steroid testing policy is laughable.

 

I agree completely. The market is ripe for a new fighting sport to take over. It's too bad, because boxing is much more elegant a sport.

 

Oh, of course you do, because you're a fan of the sport. Hell I do too. BUT that's not the way the casual fan approaches things. When things go to the ground at a live UFC show frequently after a while you hear booing from the crowd. Also, if you recall, last year the fight that everybody at the UFC was crowing about (that forest griffin -stephen whatshisname match) last year as the one that took it into the mainstream was at its most compelling as a boxing brawl.

Winky Wright and Jermaine Taylor (neither of whom has reached the name recognition level of Hopkins, De La Hoya, or RJ Jr. from a few years ago) just signed the other day to fight for the MW title in Memphis this year for about $3m each. Rich Franklin's purse (going from past examples, the Nevada state filings are usually made public afterwards) for the UFC MW fight last friday? I would guess it was around $30,000 -$50,000.

WWE is also at a low ebb yet Raw, after decades on the air, is still by far the highest rated show on cable (USA is the top rated cable network, and Spike TV has consequently taken a massive plunge since losing wrestling).

MMA, and particularly UFC has a LONG way to go - I don't know if it is even turning a profit at this point. Listen I like the sport too, but you hear this kind of talk for years ("look out boxing!") - but it's got a LONG, LONG way to go to get out of the minor leagues.

 

How long has the UFC stuff been on regular cable television and not just pay per view?

 

Two years or two seasons? At any rate, that is longer than I realized. Maybe SamF is right. Of course, unless boxing DOES change things, somehow, eventually they will completely lose whatever foothold they have on that particular violent sport demographic. Personally, I don't think I could ever follow a sport that would almost require that you cough up the huge PPV fees if you want to follow the best fights, whether boxing, UFC or whatever.

 

if you guys havent already, you should really check out pride fighting. its awesome seeing the best of k1, ufc, and japanese fighters mix it up. in my opinion they have the best fighters and some of their events have been crazy. i just like how everything about pride seems to be on a grander scale, kind of a best in the world thing.
some of their matches tend to have alot of grappling, which i personally enjoy alot, but just a warning to those who dont like it so much.

theres a major sale going on at suncoast and sam goody and houston and austin and you can get alot of the pride dvds for about $10. if youve never watched pride before, you have to pick up body blow. its the best mma event ive ever seen.