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UFC on FOX I discussion


PowerButchi

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That's nuts. If it had gone 3 or 4 rounds and then the big KO imagine what the numbers might have reached.

 

Still, its encouraging that they did such a great rating for their first fight on FOX. Once the deal is in full swing next year and they get full cards on there with a shitload of promotion I'm sure there will be some huge numbers tuning in.

 

It could have turned out better but it also could have been worse. Although we'd have all loved a 3 or 4 round back and forth war, everyone loves a quick KO too. Mike Tyson in the 80s did monster business and a lot of them fights barely went 3 minutes. If it had turned out to be 5 rounds of Cain taking JDS down for a lopsided decision, to new viewers that would have been more offputting than what happened.

 

And it's a 7 year deal. They've got a lot of time to build on this strong start. If all goes well imagine where the sport could be in 7 years?

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yeh it kinda makes it suck even more knowing that that many people tuned in to watch to only get 64 seconds of action, i don't think anyone will have been disappointed with what they actually saw, but you just have to wish they saw something more substantial.

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Yeah which is why I bet they're kicking themselves that they never aired Guida/Bendo on FOX. Even though people were tuning in for Cain and JDS, seeing a FOTY calibre fight like that aswell as the quick KO in the main event would probably have attracted more people to follow MMA. And I imgaine the ratings would have soared over the course of the Guida/Bendo fight.

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yeh i bet they'd have at least held that rating the whole time.

 

This Bob Arum thing is pissing me off too, that old fucker seems intent on attacking MMA at every oppurtunity. I can't remember the UFC ever trying to deliberately go after boxing, the UFC for me have always been very supportive of the sport and people like Dana White, Joe Rogan are noted boxing fans and always say the two can happly co-exist. Why doesn't boxing give the same love back??

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It's pretty much just Arum and Mayweather who slag MMA off these days from what I can tell. Even Bernard Hopkins has softened his stance on MMA. And most boxers have said good things about MMA from Pacquiao, Hatton, Roy Jones, Haye. Even Don King has praised it.

 

It seems to be mainly old time guys/promoters like Arum and Warren who slag it off because either they don't get it or they wanna diminish it because they feel threatened which I don't agree with cos as you say both sports have loyal followings, one isn't gonna kill the other.

 

Anyone remember around 2007 when Barry McGuigan was ripping into MMA something fierce?

 

ITV: Much has been made in recent months about the increasing threat of Mixed Martial Arts and UFC in particular to boxing. What is your take on how things stand currently?

 

BM: Of course it's a concern. However I honestly feel there is no dignity in UFC and I just don't see it lasting. For me it's trashy and dirty where as boxing very much remains the noble art. There is nothing noble about UFC. There is no real skill involved as far as I can see with these fellas wrestling and grappling around on the floor. It's undignified. I can see why it's gained in popularity as the world and TV generally has become less sanitized but I don't see it staying the course.

 

and

 

"Dana White has created an event, a sense of drama around UFC. That much I'll grant him. But don't tell me these finely-honed musclemen are human fighting machines. Take away the kick and they would not stand a chance against a boxer. It takes years to develop competence in the ring. Not for nothing is boxing known as the sweet science.

 

The UFC boys spend most of their time rolling about on the floor grappling with limbs entwined. Any punches they let go or any punches they throw have no leverage and carry only the weight of their arms. When a world-class boxer hits you his punches are anchored to the floor. Every fibre from his big toe through to his legs and trunk explode when the fist hits the target.

 

The blood you see in UFC is a consequence of the limited protection in the gloves, not the impact of the punches. Compared to a UFC shot a boxer's punch feels like a sledgehammer.

 

In my view we are not comparing like with like, therefore I don't see the threat UFC poses to boxing. It has a different rhythm. It gives primacy to size and strength as opposed to boxing, which places far more emphasis on speed and balance. Holding and stifling your opponent shapes the UFC drama. As a result it slows down the action".

 

then when the UFC came to Dublin in 2009 for UFC 93, on one of Dana's video blogs Dana ran into McGuigan and they chatted MMA and boxing alongside former Bantamweight boxer Wayne McCullough who is also a big MMA fan. Awkward. I've got a lot of respect for McGuigan but he was talking shit and doesn't know enough about MMA judging by his comments to be slagging it off like that. Dunno if he still feels the same but I think some of these old school boxing guys will just never get MMA.

 

you can watch the UFC 93 Dana blog with McGuigan here for anyone interested

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2009/1/Da...pisode-4-647734

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I will give Oscar De Le Hoya his due though, from the start he said the two could co-exist side by side.

 

I stand by that today, Arum is just a bitter old crank when it comes to MMA. Mayweather is just a attention whore, a lovable and highly talented attention whore though!

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I wonder after tonight's show on Fox how many articles are going to be written by older sports journalists decrying MMA as a barbaric, skill-less non-sport the popularity of which is symptomatic of the declining values of American culture.

 

Here's one. Well, in truth, I don't know if Fred is a sports journalist by trade. He seems to think that championship boxing matches still last fifteen rounds. So, I am guessing that he is old.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/ki...wFSN_story.html

 

Fred Bowen

The Score

 

Ultimate fighting is too brutal to be considered a sport, even if it

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With the ufc blowing up in north and south america i was thinking what the ufc can do to get more coverage in the uk?

 

Alot of people i speak to never know when an events on or have even heard of the ufc.

 

Surely when the espn deal is up next august theve got to look for another channel to use.sky sports being the main channel to move to. Ufc is lost on espn not many people have the channel. I know people have said in the past that with the wwe being om sky it may cause a problem but sky do show cage rage and a couple other mma events.

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Called Velasquez/dos Santos wrong. I like dos Santos though and if I wasn't predicting, I'd have liked him to win. My prediction that Ben Henderson would beat Clay Guida be decision was correct. Henderson/Guida was a terrific fight, either my second or third favourite this year. Can't wait for Edgar/Henderson. We got a better end of the deal thanks to Henderson/Guida airing here unlike the US broadcast. UFC screwed that up.

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