UFC Popularity

[The Fallen Angel]

In the past 5 or so years the UFC's popularity has skyrocketed, and i think that the trend of this will continue. If it does could you see the UFC over taking the NFL as the most popular sport in America?

Now the downside to the UFC is it doesnt have an offseason and its big events are on PPV. So if the popularity does continue to rise and it gets to the NFL's level do you see them putting more big events on tv and less on PPV as a way to garner more fans?

Or possibly do you see the NFL going the way of UFC and ever putting the playoffs and or Superbowl on PPV only?

 

[CurtWild]

no sport will ever be as popular as the NFL. Lol that PPV playoff/superbowl idea would rake in some serious dough though

The UFC and MMA in general just needs to get to where boxing used to be

 

[Goodieluver]

UFC is plateauing

Dana White originally wanted nothing to do with former pro wrestlers and now he is using as many as he can to get drawing power which he is

He's trying to make as much money as he can now but he is getting involved in roid damaged product as well as the stigma of pro wrestling period

 

[InspectorJapp]

Dana White originally wanted nothing to do with former pro wrestlers and now he is using as many as he can to get drawing power which he is

Goodie!

 

[tickler4u2]

If someone has the patience, what is the draw of the UFC? I looked it up on google and I know it's Ultimate Fighting. Interestingly, I've seen ads recently in the NYC subway regarding the UFC. I guess it's gaining in popularity. But, I'm not sure it can ever out do the NFL. Why do you think so?

 

[Goodieluver]

UFC is what boxing was 25-50 years ago in this nation

Also, UFC will start losing steam when they run out of matchups or get too many pro wrestlers that it dilutes the draw power of the other card wrestlers, that or when one guy dies in the ring

 

[The Fallen Angel]

UFC is what boxing was 25-50 years ago in this nation

Also, UFC will start losing steam when they run out of matchups or get too many pro wrestlers that it dilutes the draw power of the other card wrestlers, that or when one guy dies in the ring

Was just thinking of that the other day, kind of suprised it hasnt happened yet

 

[alchemy]

I liked UFC better when it was one martial arts style verses another. Now it's a bunch of big clumsy guys hitting each other and preening like wrestlers. Not for me.

 

[CurtWild]

Was just thinking of that the other day, kind of suprised it hasnt happened yet

there has been one death following a sanctioned fight (in a smaller show) and two deaths in a non sanctioned fights overseas.

so that's ONE death in a sanctions fight in the US in almost 15 years. If Boxing can survive with 5 deaths a year then MMA should be fine.

 

[The Fallen Angel]

there has been one death following a sanctioned fight (in a smaller show) and two deaths in a non sanctioned fights overseas.

so that's ONE death in a sanctions fight in the US in almost 15 years. If Boxing can survive with 5 deaths a year then MMA should be fine.

Not saying it wouldnt survive it, just that im suprised that it hasnt happened in the UFC yet

 

[Liu Kang]

Not saying it wouldnt survive it, just that im suprised that it hasnt happened in the UFC yet

Personally, I'm not. This is not street brawling.

 

[drnkntklr]

UFC is plateauing

Dana White originally wanted nothing to do with former pro wrestlers and now he is using as many as he can to get drawing power which he is

He's trying to make as much money as he can now but he is getting involved in roid damaged product as well as the stigma of pro wrestling period

How many former pro wrestlers has he signed besides Lesnar? If you can name 5 then I can see where you're coming from. I don't think it will ever be as big as the NFL, and while I am afraid that it might be a fad (look at its target audience : 21-35 year olds) that is currently reaching an apex, I do think that it will continue to grow albeit not as fast. The fact that Gatorade has become to sponsor some UFC fighters (GSP) is proof of this. At the same time, I don't think a UFC fighter will ever grace the front of a cereal box lol.

 

[The Fallen Angel]

How many former pro wrestlers has he signed besides Lesnar? If you can name 5 then I can see where you're coming from. I don't think it will ever be as big as the NFL, and while I am afraid that it might be a fad (look at its target audience : 21-35 year olds) that is currently reaching an apex, I do think that it will continue to grow albeit not as fast. The fact that Gatorade has become to sponsor some UFC fighters (GSP) is proof of this. At the same time, I don't think a UFC fighter will ever grace the front of a cereal box lol.

Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock was a pro wrestler before he came into mma, tito ortiz spent time in pro wrestling, dan severn was a pro wrestler before going into mma, bobby lashely, bob sapp, aki bono, frank trigg, anonthy rumble johnson spent a short amount of time on the pro wrestling independent circuit,

realize they all dont still fight but they were all in pro wrestling before mma/ufc

 

[Goodieluver]

How many former pro wrestlers has he signed besides Lesnar? If you can name 5 then I can see where you're coming from. I don't think it will ever be as big as the NFL, and while I am afraid that it might be a fad (look at its target audience : 21-35 year olds) that is currently reaching an apex, I do think that it will continue to grow albeit not as fast. The fact that Gatorade has become to sponsor some UFC fighters (GSP) is proof of this. At the same time, I don't think a UFC fighter will ever grace the front of a cereal box lol.

Lesnar, Lashley, Sapp, and tech since they were pro wrestling before their first mma match, shamrock and severn but i wont count them since we are talking modern and Dana White involvement

My point being is that even alot of hardcore MMA fans are getting annoyed by the plugging and using of Lesnar and the likes of Kimbo Slice. It dillutes the main event status of many fighters and wrecks the undercard because people only will be focusing on the main event, similar to any Tyson fight back in the day

I think mainstream will kill the sport. I remember when UFC was held in near dinky bars and whatnot and there were legit no rules, anything goes. But as people started liking it, they had to implement rules like no eye gouging or groin blows, etc. That turned off alot of the original fans but it got more in. Now with UFC 100, people were complaining about hendersons second KO punch and Lesnars actions so its reasonable to see Dana White will put in more rule changes to protect his fighters which will prob turn more of the real audience off leaving the fad\college fan left who will prob not be a hardcore follower

 

[meangry]

Lesnar, Lashley, Sapp, and tech since they were pro wrestling before their first mma match, shamrock and severn but i wont count them since we are talking modern and Dana White involvement

My point being is that even alot of hardcore MMA fans are getting annoyed by the plugging and using of Lesnar and the likes of Kimbo Slice. It dillutes the main event status of many fighters and wrecks the undercard because people only will be focusing on the main event, similar to any Tyson fight back in the day

I think mainstream will kill the sport. I remember when UFC was held in near dinky bars and whatnot and there were legit no rules, anything goes. But as people started liking it, they had to implement rules like no eye gouging or groin blows, etc. That turned off alot of the original fans but it got more in. Now with UFC 100, people were complaining about hendersons second KO punch and Lesnars actions so its reasonable to see Dana White will put in more rule changes to protect his fighters which will prob turn more of the real audience off leaving the fad\college fan left who will prob not be a hardcore follower

Dana White hasn't signed any professional wrestler save Lesnar, so saying that group of guys is just wrong. And both Severn and Shamrock made their bones in Pancrease and MMA before transitioning to wrestling.

Next, Kimbo isn't a main event player unless you look at low rate places like EliteXC. In actuality, Dana White has been adamant in his beliefs about Slice not being a UFC caliber fighter unless he gets through TUF. What a hype machine not connected with the UFC did with Kimbo was wrong, though I do not begrudge the guy for getting paid.

And your analysis about the history of the sport and the movement from the original UFC to modern UFC is just wrong. Rule changes had nothing to do with popularity. The UFC was hardly a major player on PPV; it was human cock fighting with bareknuckles, and once legislators looked at it and saw it for what it was, they removed licenses and the UFC couldn't run major events or get real publicity. They transitioned it to have more rules because that's what organizations had to do to be viable with state athletic commissions. By the time PRIDE was wildly popular, their sport was regulated so that there could be no elbow strikes.

There has not been a major rule change in the UFC since the Ferritias bought the company and transitioned it from bar room styled brawling to class sport. So saying this whole line about "rule changes to protect fighters" is wrong. The fighters are well protected. Dan Henderson was in his right to hit that second shot because the fight was not over yet.

The sport is growing in popularity, and the more mainstream it becomes, the more accessible, and that means more people can see it. This thought process that the millions of people watching this sport or only doing it because it has this mystical underground fight club vibe is actually laughably idiotic because it shows a distinct unawareness of the people that actually, you know, watch the sport.

 

[Goodieluver]

Dana White hasn't signed any professional wrestler save Lesnar, so saying that group of guys is just wrong. And both Severn and Shamrock made their bones in Pancrease and MMA before transitioning to wrestling.

Next, Kimbo isn't a main event player unless you look at low rate places like EliteXC. In actuality, Dana White has been adamant in his beliefs about Slice not being a UFC caliber fighter unless he gets through TUF. What a hype machine not connected with the UFC did with Kimbo was wrong, though I do not begrudge the guy for getting paid.

And your analysis about the history of the sport and the movement from the original UFC to modern UFC is just wrong. Rule changes had nothing to do with popularity. The UFC was hardly a major player on PPV; it was human cock fighting with bareknuckles, and once legislators looked at it and saw it for what it was, they removed licenses and the UFC couldn't run major events or get real publicity. They transitioned it to have more rules because that's what organizations had to do to be viable with state athletic commissions. By the time PRIDE was wildly popular, their sport was regulated so that there could be no elbow strikes.

There has not been a major rule change in the UFC since the Ferritias bought the company and transitioned it from bar room styled brawling to class sport. So saying this whole line about "rule changes to protect fighters" is wrong. The fighters are well protected. Dan Henderson was in his right to hit that second shot because the fight was not over yet.

The sport is growing in popularity, and the more mainstream it becomes, the more accessible, and that means more people can see it. This thought process that the millions of people watching this sport or only doing it because it has this mystical underground fight club vibe is actually laughably idiotic because it shows a distinct unawareness of the people that actually, you know, watch the sport.

As i said, tech shamrock and severn can listed as wrestling first since they had a pro wrestling match before they went into MMA

You are right about White only signing Lesnar so far, but in a sense i am grouping all MMA into UFC, esp since UFC\Pride combined to which led to UFC rule changes since Pride had very different striking rules, like knees to the head when opponent is on all 4s, etc. But UFC does amount to like 80-90% of the official MMA world wide

As for rule changes in regards to history, how to you figure I am wrong? It was a fan hit on PPV when it was just brutality and fighting on PPV. It lost when McCain and other govt officials put pressure on them

My point was that MMA in general now is looking for established names to draw in a crowds, like Lashley, Sapp, Lesnar, etc. Im not saying theyre non talented fighters but when you draw in already credited names, you dilute your undercard and its hard to build on top of that. As I made my Tyson reference, there were some great fights on his undercards but the casual fan didn't notice cuz they were too amped to see 15 seconds of Tyson

 

[meangry]

As i said, tech shamrock and severn can listed as wrestling first since they had a pro wrestling match before they went into MMA

Ken Shamrock never drew a dime in professional wrestling, and went to Pancrase where he became King of Pancrase, then fought in the UFC. The UFC did not bring Ken Shamrock in because of his wrestling background. They brought him in because he was one of the best fighters in the world. Severn was a world class amateur wrestler.

Professional wrestling had nothing to do with either of those guys coming to the UFC. Both were marginal wrestlers.

You are right about White only signing Lesnar so far, but in a sense i am grouping all MMA into UFC, esp since UFC\Pride combined to which led to UFC rule changes since Pride had very different striking rules, like knees to the head when opponent is on all 4s, etc. But UFC does amount to like 80-90% of the official MMA world wide

As for rule changes in regards to history, how to you figure I am wrong? It was a fan hit on PPV when it was just brutality and fighting on PPV. It lost when McCain and other govt officials put pressure on them

It was nowhere near a widespread success. And it kept losing reputability and drawing power as the government tightened a grip on it.

My point was that MMA in general now is looking for established names to draw in a crowds, like Lashley, Sapp, Lesnar, etc. Im not saying theyre non talented fighters but when you draw in already credited names, you dilute your undercard and its hard to build on top of that. As I made my Tyson reference, there were some great fights on his undercards but the casual fan didn't notice cuz they were too amped to see 15 seconds of Tyson

Bob Sapp became a name in Japan because he was a gigantic gaijin who bullcharged. He's not that great of a fighter.

Bobby Lashley could walk on any street in the world and nobody would know who he was. And if you tried to talk about his name, people would be all "huh?"

You don't dilute your undercard with these sorts of guys because A.) A majority of people can't tell them apart from any of even the medium popular guys in the UFC and B.) If they fight and win, they deserve their spot and C.) If they don't win those undercard guys get put up the card as a result of beating them.

Boxing and MMA do not match up card wise because the majority of fans only saw the Tyson fight. They didn't see four other bouts on the card. They only pumped out their coin to see that guy. With the UFC, you might have people buying a PPV for a fight, but those other guys do not go unnoticed.

 

[drnkntklr]

If you recall the main reason why boxing has become less popular in recent years is due to the lack of a HW Champ who appeals to the people. Boxing is not crap now, but the heavyweight division has been in shambles in recent years. Americans and the world in general have a historical love affair with watching big guys slug it out. This applies to MMA as well, so a HW champion who has an aura of invincibility will attract large crowds and keep the sport alive. The first major UFC figure was Chuck Lidell (I am ignoring Tito Ortiz because although he is popular he was dominant mostly before the MMA explosion), someone who although not an MMA HW fits the Boxing HW mold: A guy weighing over 200 lbs who knocks people out cold. The one thing that the UFC has going for it over boxing is that although people still enjoy watching the bigger guys fight, they also pay a lot of attention to the lower classes.

I don't think that the UFC is in the business of solely looking for big names, but if they see a talented fighter or a potential great fighter they can only benefit from having that fighter in their stable. If the UFC gets Fedor and Fedor dominates Lesnar, I guarantee Fedor becomes a mainstream name based off that win alone. (Not saying that beating Lesnar is the greatest thing Fedor would have done, but sadly most casual fans don't know much beyond UFC)

 

[Goodieluver]

Also I watched UFC 100 today, i was really pissed at people Boo'ing when guys were in guards and jostling for position

Fucking MMA is not just "Yeah lets have 2 guys just swing at each other"

 

[The Fallen Angel]

Also I watched UFC 100 today, i was really pissed at people Boo'ing when guys were in guards and jostling for position

Fucking MMA is not just "Yeah lets have 2 guys just swing at each other"

Thats what most fans want, which is stupid if thats what you want watch boxing. Seems to me most people dont want to see bjj either unless a submission is breaking someones arm, and its sad i like to see contrasting styles using their style, not just 2 guys swinging for thr fence a whole fight.

 

[lzamora]

MMA/Football 2 diffrent things

The NFL is America's Sport. No other nation has it but us. So in the United States it should remain on top while it's in season. Mixed Martial Arts is rising fast but it should'nt overtake the NFL. It is however already leaving boxing in the dust. It's very disapointing to see that. Being a boxing fan all my life. We will see what happens this NFL season.

 

[TheTickleMonster]

um.. the UFC will never be as big as the NFL. and I don't think NFL will ever put it's games on PPV. No sports do that. The only sport-like things they show on ppv are the fighting ones.. like UFC and Boxing and Wrestling. Sports like Baseball and Football and Basketball and Hockey won't be on ppv.

 

[TheTickleMonster]

The NFL is America's Sport. No other nation has it but us. QUOTE]

lol.. unfortunately that's not true lol.. the World Football League might be no more but the Canadian Football League is still around, so yeah America is the only continent that has football, but USA is not the only Country because our neighbors to the north have it too.. although I find the CFL way boring lol..

 

[deadlywiffeathr]

UFC kicks ass! I think Im one of the only females in exsistance to feel this way about it! Lol. However, I dont watch it to see some poor guy get his face smacked in, I love the contrast between the boxing/kickboxing element and the martial arts grapples and ground moves. You dont neccessarily have to be a brute to win a match, but it does help 😛

 

[drnkntklr]

Thats what most fans want, which is stupid if thats what you want watch boxing. Seems to me most people dont want to see bjj either unless a submission is breaking someones arm, and its sad i like to see contrasting styles using their style, not just 2 guys swinging for thr fence a whole fight.

There is more to boxing than just swinging for the fences though, there are many technicalities and subtleties there you just need to know what to look for. After all it is called the sweet science for a reason.