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by David P. Greisman - LAS VEGAS – The music, rock and roll heavy with aggressive guitar, reverberated through the arena. The fans roared. There were few empty seats in sight. Soon there would be none, not with nearly 15,000 people in attendance.
The atmosphere was already electric. And the first fight on the undercard had yet to begin.
One week before, a boxing match between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley had brought in 20,820 people, the largest crowd ever to an event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The successful promotion was a rare exception to what has become the rule for major fights in America.
On this night in Las Vegas, Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, packed 14,885 into the MGM Grand Garden Arena, drawing knowledgeable, vocal and dedicated fans from near and far to see UFC 94, a show headlined by a rematch between Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn. The successful promotion was yet another for the standard bearer of mixed martial arts, or MMA.
Nearly two years ago I wrote of the relationship between boxing and MMA, of two unnecessary themes seen in mainstream coverage of both sports: that boxing is on the decline and is desperately in need of saving, and that MMA is experiencing a meteoric rise that may lead to the sunset of the Sweet Science
Boxing has indeed stagnated in the States. And MMA indeed continues to grow. But those who love boxing shouldn’t feel threatened. As I wrote then, the two combat sports need not collide in a sort of commercial rivalry, not when they can coexist in a market that caters to both the old and new definitions of “hardcore fight fan.” There are some who only like boxing. There are some who only like MMA. And there are many who like both and can appreciate the strengths and recognize the weaknesses in each. [details]
The atmosphere was already electric. And the first fight on the undercard had yet to begin.
One week before, a boxing match between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley had brought in 20,820 people, the largest crowd ever to an event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The successful promotion was a rare exception to what has become the rule for major fights in America.
On this night in Las Vegas, Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, packed 14,885 into the MGM Grand Garden Arena, drawing knowledgeable, vocal and dedicated fans from near and far to see UFC 94, a show headlined by a rematch between Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn. The successful promotion was yet another for the standard bearer of mixed martial arts, or MMA.
Nearly two years ago I wrote of the relationship between boxing and MMA, of two unnecessary themes seen in mainstream coverage of both sports: that boxing is on the decline and is desperately in need of saving, and that MMA is experiencing a meteoric rise that may lead to the sunset of the Sweet Science
Boxing has indeed stagnated in the States. And MMA indeed continues to grow. But those who love boxing shouldn’t feel threatened. As I wrote then, the two combat sports need not collide in a sort of commercial rivalry, not when they can coexist in a market that caters to both the old and new definitions of “hardcore fight fan.” There are some who only like boxing. There are some who only like MMA. And there are many who like both and can appreciate the strengths and recognize the weaknesses in each. [details]
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