Boxing Fans/MMA Fans..Do you agree with this?

[Soda Popinski]

DLH can be replaced, sure, but not bey anybody with anywhere NEAR the drawing power he has.

And i disagree witht he whole statement completely. I think The popularity of the sport should ABSOLUTELY be about the logo and organiziation because, as we are seeing with boxing, there arent always going to be popular fighters around



neither of you have any idea what ur talking about.


And UFC is not folding at all lol. If anything, by 2010 it'll be twice as big if not more so.

I agree with this guy. If the UFC folds I think it will be very tough on the sport because the majority of the best fighters are there. Should the UFC fold, they all go their separate ways and fight one time deals where they piss and moan about their percentage and hold out for more money and duck fighters they know will beat them blah blah blah. Sound familiar?? That's why the UFC set it up the way they have, and so far it seems to be working pretty well.

The UFC has created enough market share for MMA to carry on (in the US and Canada at least, MMA is very healthy in Japan), but no company will rise above the rest the way the UFC has. It'll be a power vacuum between DREAM, Affliction, WVR and whoever else manages to get financing. That basically leads to cross promotion events that take forever to get set up and risk being shut down if someone gets hurt training or decides they want more money.

And the UFC is nowhere near folding. If anything they're expanding.

[sunthunder]

I think too much is made of comparing the UFC's biggest ppv of the year with boxing's biggest. I mean the UFC averages something like 400k every month.

And MMA, like other sports will probably have its highs and lows. The sport has afterall, only been around in it's modern form with modern rules for around 10 years. But I don't think it will disappear. Other less popular combat sports haven't folded, so why should MMA?. As long as there are fighters that want to prove themselves, there will be fans, and the sport will continue.

[mishka80]

i agree..ufc ain't going no where.. they're pratically going global (Philippines, Japan, Europe, Canada, Korea, Germany etcetc)

[Soda Popinski]

I'm not sure, MMA is still growing so i can't see the only profitable organisation going bust, plus UFC have been round the longest they got the name plus they make that overseas money as well, plus Elite who had Kimbo they were hoping Kimbo & others I think Tito Ortiz was looking to sign with them to help them get to some decent level before they could go at UFC. UFC atm is like the WWE its the only competition in town I know there is WEC and they cater for alot more divisions than UFC do, but more people know about UFC for being on ****e TV and from TUF than they do about WEC.

Boxing's boxing it may die in american interest but it wont everywhere else in the world, last sat there was about 8-10 different fight cards going around the world.

They need to stop putting **** on PPV and put it on normal TV unless its a super super fights thats 1 way to get peoples interest back in the sport. The Yanks pay what $55 for a PPV in this current economic climate, something has to be done

Actually the WEC and the UFC are owned by the same company, Zuffa, so it all goes to the same bottom line.

Recently the WEC cut their MW and LHW division out completely. This way they're not competing with the UFC for market share as much, and they'll actually be gaining market share in the smaller weight divisions where the UFC doesn't go.

So Zuffa basically has all of MMA in the western hemisphere covered.

[Kakutogi-Gumi]

Do you agree with the last TWO SENTENCES??

MMA ppvs are mostly about people wanting to see the UFC. Fighting should always be about the fighters and not about a logo or organization. That is the big difference between MMA and Boxing. Hatton can sell out Wembley stadium while Arlovski, Fedor, Sylvia and others cant even push the AFFLICTION PPV past the 100 thou marker(i dont even think they came close to a 100). If the UFC folds, MMA is as good as dead. If Oscar retires, there will always be somebody to take his place.

I don't think the UFC will fold by 2010. But if it did, I don't think MMA will die. You got to many grapplers involved and there's too many situations in the grappling world happening that will make it impossible for the sport to die.

MMA would take on a more...regional model with Strikeforce and WEC taking the west and UWC with NAAFS taking the east. KotC might take up UFC's reigns because they've been around the longest. I can see them take a more heavier approch. You'd also see SHOOTO give the US another try and possibly put an office or two in Nevada and Indiana.

[Banjo7]

Yes I agree.

Without UFC there is no real MMA mainstream competition.

When Oscar retires he will still be a promoter and still heavily involved in the sport.

When Ali retired boxing survived. Boxing is more than one person.

[Kakutogi-Gumi]

i agree..ufc ain't going no where.. they're pratically going global (Philippines, Japan, Europe, Canada, Korea, Germany etcetc)

Montreal is home of the Unified rules and Germany is getting a show next year.

[mishka80]

Montreal is home of the Unified rules and Germany is getting a show next year.

Philippines is getting a show next year.....march 09? im not sure.

[RL_GMA]

Reality:

UFC isn't going anywhere. Just because its PPVs don't pull Oscar numbers doesn't mean it'll tumble. Keep in mind, Boxing isn't tied down to organizations being a fighter who is lets say the WBA champ can fight the IBF champ whether it be for a Unification bout or not.

UFC on the other hand is a full fledged organization with its own fighters competing against one another. They have PPVs literally every month. Also, when you look at how much Dana is paying these guys (Main eventer = $250k to show up, 250k to win), you almost have to laugh compared to what Boxers headlining a PPV get. Zuffa with WEC & UFC are making a killing not only here, but also over seas with the UK shows they've been doing since last year.

As I've said a trillion times...Apples & Oranges folks. Both can and will co-exist.

[Kakutogi-Gumi]

Philippines is getting a show next year.....march 09? im not sure.

Can't be March. That's when they usually do their show at the Arnold Fitness and Martial Arts Expo.

I can see it happen in the spring or later in '09. Lorenzo definitely wants to hit the Philippines next year.