Boxing out, UFC in. [Forum Archive]

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Boxing out, UFC in.

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Posted by: ReproMan

Bernard Fernandez | UFC: Here's making the Ultimate Fighting ConcessionI GUESS I'M what you might call a traditionalist.

A very long time ago, when I worked at another newspaper, I received an irate phone call from a fan of professional wrestling who demanded to know why my editors did not devote space in the daily section to his entertainers of choice.

"Because pro rasslin' is not a sport,'' I said.

As the guy sputtered indignantly, I

informed him I had read a purloined script for the main event of one card that had been held in my town. I attended that show for research purposes and the match unfolded exactly as written, up to and including the climactic moment when the

eventual winner snuck up from behind and bashed his supposedly unsuspecting victim with a metal folding chair. Some blind referee pretended not to notice, and allowed the chair wielder to win on the ensuing pin.

You still won't spot me at any Wrestlemanias, but it seems that I finally am becoming more tolerant of non-boxing combat sports.

Put it this way: If there was a pay-per-view event in which Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme went chop-socky on one another for real, wouldn't you be tempted to check it out? Thought so.

Something known as the

Ultimate Fighting Championship has made inroads into boxing's domination of the genre, so much so that I no longer can look the other way. The recent UFC 61 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas played to a sellout crowd of 12,400, with ringside seats going for $750, and generated a live gate of $3.3 million.

Those numbers eclipse Saturday night's HBO PPV rematch of marquee junior middleweights Shane Mosley (43-4, 37 KOs) and Fernando Vargas (26-4, 22 KOs) at Las Vegas' MGM Grand, which Mosley won by sixth-round technical knockout. That bout had a paid attendance of 9,722, with tickets scaled to a high of $800.

To understand how far UFC has come, you have to understand how humbly and controversially it began.

UFC was launched in 1993 with naked brutality as participants gleefully head-butted,

eye-gouged, rabbit-punched and kneed each other in the groin with impunity. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has

authored several bills to reform pro boxing, dismissed UFC as "human cock-fighting'' and

openly called for its abolishment.

But what had been widely viewed as a disreputable activity began to change in 2001, when the Nevada State Athletic Commission took note of safety changes enacted by UFC and voted to sanction matches.

Lorenzo Fertitta - a former member of the Nevada commission - sank a chunk of his personal fortune into rescuing the foundering enterprise, as did his brother, Frank, and Boston entrepreneur Dana White, who now serves as UFC president. The money men spiffied up UFC's image by restricting some of the more violent and marginally legal blows, while maintaining its intriguing composite of martial arts, boxing and wrestling.

But UFC - which has sponsored functions at the last two Boxing Writers Association of America awards dinners in Las Vegas - went even more mainstream with the recent hiring of Marc Ratner, the much-respected former executive director of the NSAC, and John Mulkey, a former managing director at Wachovia Securities.

UFC already is sanctioned in more than 20 states (Pennsylvania is not yet among them), and it gets steady television exposure via its relationship with cable network Spike. Some UFC fighters have seven-figure annual incomes, and they're as recognizable as rock stars to fans who consider the sport a quicker-paced alternative to boxing.

"Ten years ago, [no state

athletic commission] wanted to approve UFC because of its

no-holds-barred, anything-goes message,'' Ratner said. "That's no longer the case. We have weight classes now. We have rounds. We have judges.

"UFC is still an acquired taste, but more and more people are acquiring that taste. I believe the future is all blue skies.''

UFC 62, by the way, is scheduled for Aug. 26 at the Mandalay Bay. UFC lightweight champion Chuck Liddell and challenger Renaldo Sobral top the bill.

Posted by: bigss75

Colorado was the beginning of the UFC and no we can't get one if our lives depended on it

Posted by: ReproMan

I'm just ticked that I lived minutes from Atlantic City for 14 months and I didn't go to one event. I missed a few good ones too.

Posted by: fufu

I don't think that UFC is replacing boxing at all. I doubt all the boxing fans quit watching boxing matches and started watching UFC, they are pretty different. I was never a big fan of boxing but I like MMA, it didn't stop me from liking boxing any less though.

Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by fufu

I don't think that UFC is replacing boxing at all. I doubt all the boxing fans quit watching boxing matches and started watching UFC, they are pretty different. I was never a big fan of boxing but I like MMA, it didn't stop me from liking boxing any less though.

I don't think the UFC is going to "replace" boxing so to speak, but the last 2 UFC's have had a greater live gate revenue than the last string of championship fights (maybe not the Taylor-Wright fight but the few before it). So obviously more Americans are along the same line of thinking.

Posted by: fufu

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatCatMC

Probably appealed more to the younger crowd and I hate to say it, the "Pro Wrestling" crowd. It seems UFC is trying to sensationalize things more.

Posted by: Pedigree

Dana White has done a great job of making UFC mainstream. The good thing is, he's smart enough to know to grow slowly and not try to force it on people. All it takes is watching a fight or two, and most people are hooked! And to think, he and his investors bought it in 2001 for $2,000,000

That's chump change compared what it's given back to them.
Anyway, more and more celebrities are attending live events, which helps get the UFC name out there tremendously and makes it more socially acceptable to watch.
The appeal of a guy like Rich Franklin is also big. The UFC (along with xience) has marketed this guy big time, which is smart. He has a Master's Degree, was a former school teacher, and is obviously an intelligent guy. That blows the "just a bunch of big stupid guys beating each other stupider" theory right out of the water.
UFC will be bigger than boxing, but not right away. Give it 5 years or so.

Posted by: TJ Cline

I like MMA but it is years and years away from over taking boxing, if ever.

Posted by: The Monkey Man

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

I like MMA but it is years and years away from over taking boxing, if ever.

UFC seems only to get gheyish american fighters...

The PRIDE fighting thing attracts world class athletes -

Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey Man

UFC seems only to get gheyish american fighters...

The PRIDE fighting thing attracts world class athletes -

Considering most of Pride is made up of a good amount of fighters that defected from the UFC after they suffered losses I don't know how anyone can say that.

Heres just a small list from the top of my head:
Ricco Rodriguez, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Don Frye, Dan Henderson, Vernon White, Gary Goodridge, Mark Coleman, Guy Metzger, Kevin Randalman, and I'm sure there are more, but I don't feel like doing research. All of these fighters suffered losses in the UFC to "Gheyish Fighters."

Posted by: Pedigree

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatCatMC

Posted by: Malley

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatCatMC

Royce Gracie and Shamrock to name a few more. Yeah they came back and fought a few more in the UFC, but both lost their matches back. Shamrock vs. Tito (Shamrock was dominated). Gracie vs. Hughes (Gracie was Dominated). Now I am not saying that the UFC has better fighters, but seems like Pride gets alot of washed ups. Now whenever Sylva fights Liddel after Liddel pumels babalu then we will see UFC's best (Arguably) against Prides best (not even an argument). Ought to be a good one!

Posted by: SuperFlex

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatCatMC

I'm sure they left for more money, but good point...

Posted by: SuperFlex

Tim Sylvia should quit MMA and box. He's pretty solid. He has weak points but I think he could do well. I'm not really a big fan of his and think he fights like Egor, but the money potential doesn't even compare...

Posted by: bigss75

I always heard Pride guys get tons of money but an old interview with Rampage was talking about how UFC is getting their guys tons of money and alot of endorsements that pirde never does

Posted by: kuso

Arguing over which is better, UFC or DSE (PRIDE) is about as gay as can be.....as is saying most DSE fighters are UFC rejects. Most fighters lost when they were still learning, and some went on to greatness IN the UFC, others went on to it in other orgs

Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuso

Arguing over which is better, UFC or DSE (PRIDE) is about as gay as can be.....as is saying most DSE fighters are UFC rejects. Most fighters lost when they were still learning, and some went on to greatness IN the UFC, others went on to it in other orgs

I agree completely, but somehow it always boils down to that..

Posted by: Pedigree

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuso

True. The UFC and Pride should get together on this thing and get it settled. They should take the champion and one wild card fighter from each weight class in each organization and fight them against each other.
"UFC vs. Pride" would be a PPV worth buying!

Of course, it won't happen because if Pride were to win, the UFCs attempt at becoming mainstream in America would be hurt big time. It would be fun to watch though.

Posted by: bigss75

They have done that a couple of times. Ufc wouldnt be hurt they already have cable tv locked with new fights every week, the only you get from pride is highlights of old matches

Posted by: kuso

But in October, PRIDE will be having their first show in the US Bigss

Posted by: bigss75

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuso

But in October, PRIDE will be having their first show in the US Bigss

Isn't the critical countdown final or whatever?

The UFC is following the same line as the wwe, If you want mma to get huge you can't just be on pay per view, So now that they have the TUF and the whole thursday night knockouts its expanding rapidly.

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