Since When Did UFC Get So Big?

[southpawWiNKy]

I'll admit I took a break from boxing for a month or so. I was on vacation what can you do. But now I get back and UFC is ****ing huge. I have some serious problems...

UFC/Pride fights can get pretty fckin' intense but once they start that submission stuff it just gets nascar-esque pointless to me, i know there's an art/science to submission... but i guess i'd rather watch hopkins hold winky for 12 rounds

[Darkstar]

It didnt really blow up until the Ultimate Fighter reality series on Spike.

Which doesnt help boxing. The Contender is boring compared to last seasons TUF.

[Wiley Hyena]

The UFC got popular for three big reasons: 1. They've taken the brutality out of boxing. A great many of today's boxing matches end with the stun and shoeshine TKO. That rarely happened in the past. In the past, a simple shoeshine flurry over a stunned fighter on the ropes either ended with a knee and an 8 count or just a simple 8 count. Not anymore. I cannot count how many stun and shoeshine endings I've seen in the last few years. Also, you will note that there's almost no point in the referee actually counting to 10 on a knockdown anymore, because if the fighter doesn't bounce right back up, the fight is usually waived off before the referee gets to 6. Moreover, even if the downed fighter gets up before the 10 count, alot of matches are waived off anyway. The bottom line here is that today's boxing has been neutered. 2. Too many of today's boxing matches appear to be fixed. How many crappy decisions do we have to see? Yes, there were controversial decisions in the past, but in the last 15 years it's gotten out of hand. 3. The proliferation of championship belts. In the past, a championship fight meant something and therefore generated great drama and suspense. Now days, having a belt means almost nothing. Someone figured out a few years ago that if they had multiple belts, you could put on many more "championship" fights, which in turn meant more money. Well, this reasoning has hurt the sport for the sake of GREED. For these reasons, boxing has lost its allure with many fans.

[1bad65]

Wiley is correct in alot of ways. Back in the day even casual fans knew who the Champion of the World was. Now if you ask people who the champ is, pretty much whoever they guess is correct because damn near every top 10 boxer has a belt of some kind.

And yes, alot of boxing's troubles stem from greed. I think another factor is the kids who want to choose sports as a career avoid boxing. They see guys like Ali with Parkinson's, Tyson with no money, and Leon Spinks working at McDonalds. No other sport has as many top names dead broke even before they retire! Even Diego Corrales, who gave us some AMAZING fights, filed bankruptcy shortly before he died and he was still an active boxer. How these *******s who rip off these warriors aren't sent to prison is beyond me. It's a crying shame.

[THe TRiNiTY]

Truth is, MMA is going to sizzle, VERY quickly. Think about it, all their big stars have recently lost. Tim Silvia.. Chuck Liddell.. Tito Ortiz has lost so many times.. Rich Franklin.. Matt Hughes.. (The guy who beat Hughes then lost to a guy who won The Ultamite Fighter).. Mikro Cro Cop lost.. EVERYONE that has proven to be a draw has lost drawing power. UFC, in my personal opinion has peaked. I don't hate on the UFC, I just call them like I see them.

[mrpain81]

Truth is, MMA is going to sizzle, VERY quickly. Think about it, all their big stars have recently lost. Tim Silvia.. Chuck Liddell.. Tito Ortiz has lost so many times.. Rich Franklin.. Matt Hughes.. (The guy who beat Hughes then lost to a guy who won The Ultamite Fighter).. Mikro Cro Cop lost.. EVERYONE that has proven to be a draw has lost drawing power. UFC, in my personal opinion has peaked. I don't hate on the UFC, I just call them like I see them.

I agree, alot of people are pissed off about tonights decision. Alot of Americans are gonna be mad because there boy took a B.S decision toinght also.

[THe TRiNiTY]

I agree, alot of people are pissed off about tonights decision. Alot of Americans are gonna be mad because there boy took a B.S decision toinght also.

Yeah, to top it off, the sport can't grow much bigger. It's just not as broad across-the-boards appealling as boxing CAN be, in my humble opinion. I like UFC and MMA, I'm just saying.

[bengidaro]

We definitely need to get boxing on basic cable. Yeah you can see Friday Night Fights but I want to see champs, former champs on the comeback, and contenders. I know Klitschko was trying to get on ABC but it never really happened. Don't get me wrong though internationally boxing is as big as ever but here in the States we need more good boxing on TV, locally, and all the time.

[potatoes]

I'll admit I took a break from boxing for a month or so. I was on vacation what can you do. But now I get back and UFC is ****ing huge. I have some serious problems. SportsCenter covers UFC, everybody covers UFC. It's bull****. Now I know there are a lot of UFC vs. Boxing threads out there. That's not what I'm trying to do. I also won't lie I hate MMA. But all I ask is for the boxing fans out there go and support your local boxing. Don't just post on this site go out and see some fights. I go to the Blue Horizon (in Philly) whenever there's a fight. That's how boxing gets back into the mainstream. So all I ask is SUPPORT BOXING! **** Rampage Jackson on Sportscenter let's see good fights on basic cable let's see boxers on ESPN. I should put out a Public Service Announcement!

ufc has the demographics and the ratings that boxing should have. The real problem is people involved in boxing don't care about the fans.

[Brave_turtle]

Yeah, to top it off, the sport can't grow much bigger. It's just not as broad across-the-boards appealling as boxing CAN be, in my humble opinion. I like UFC and MMA, I'm just saying.

LOL your clearly an MMA hater, stop acting.

It's a shame boxing doesn't get as much attention as MMA these days. Many people has pointed some interesting problems (corruption, weigth class, models). To me the biggest problem is corruption, nothing more ****ty than a fixed fight. The worst is that some are so obvious.

About your argument that MMA will die because their stars will lose... How dumb is that as an argument? Muhammed Ali has 5 loss, did he killed the sport by losing? Posterboys getting beaten is not what kill a sport. What kill a sport is corruption!

Posterboys losing is a proof that anything can happen in a fight and it's not corrupted, unlike boxing of these days. Just to correct your ignorance, alot of top fighters are still undefeated. I wouldn't name them but I would rather give you the opportunity to do your research before talking.

Give credit where credit is due. MMA and UFC has been doing better business than Boxing promoter. My mother (62 y.o) who never liked Fighting sports start watching UFC lately, you know why? Because Randy Couture (44), came from retirement and gets the HW title.

UFC and MMA, promotes him like a hero (Captain America) and it works. He speaks well, fights well and people can relate to him as Captain-America. Some people like my mom doesn't like the sport itself but the aura around it. You know the same aura when Ali defeated Foreman about 30 years ago if you were old enough at that time?

MMA is having a huge success, either we ride the bus or just stay aside but there is no need to diss a sport just because we are uneducated about it.