Mixed Martial Arts or today deemed as Ultimate Fighting Championship, is now a multi-million dollar industry, with rumors of challenging the authenticity and popularity of boxing, as one of America's past times.
This evolutionizing sport combines Muay Thai, Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing and traditional boxing to form a distinctive fighting style, with events taking place in an octagon shaped cage rather than an open square, however both run over a series of rounds.
Ultimate Fighting Championship has experienced a high rise in popularity since it's founding in 1993. While boxing has entered a state of regression with few fights and hardly any big-time names.
Today's fan base interested in combat sports is composed of an entirely new generation which is used to a rapid ubiquitous world and therefore, demands more intense, fast-paced action which boxing no longer contains.
Also an advantage in comparison to boxing is the fact that rules of the UFC allow fighters to win by "knockout, technical knockout or if a winner hasn’t emerged in the allocated time three ringside judges will render a decision based on effective grappling, aggression, striking and octagon control."
Dana White, president and CEO of the UFC was ironically a former amateur boxer. White believes "the sport has capitalized on boxing’s inability to cater to fans’ acquired tastes. The UFC is the most exciting combat sport in the world because there are so many ways to win and so many ways to lose. Boxing is your father's sport."
While the UFC has seen a large boost in popularity within the past few years, it still must recognize that some of its roots originate from boxing. Although the UFC has emerged from being an underground sport to a new phenomenon, it would still be crazy to say that the UFC is more popular than boxing. Boxing has been around for much longer than the UFC and still contains a strong fan base. I wouldn't say that the UFC has erraticated boxing and taken its place. However, I would say that boxing is currently in quite a standstill and is in need of a new image.
http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/2013/boxing-ufc/
Below is a video or better yet a battle: UFC vs Boxing
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3 comments:
I haven't seen an exciting boxing match in years, except for on ESPN "classic". However, MMA fights are always exciting and new, and I've only ever watched a few myself. In no way is it like the WWE, that's pure fiction and entertainment, and I think it is definitely here to stay.
I really believe that the UFC has shaken up the world of boxing to say the least. Boxing and UFC are both aiming at the same target market of teens to adults, and here comes this new sport that that displays fighting in various forms such as Muay Thai, Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, and traditional boxing is basically set in one plain old form. Our attention span as a society has completely shortened, and we can barely watch a 12 round bout anymore, and in UFC you get to see about 5 or more matches that last almost less than half the time a boxing match does. Boxing is going to have to change up something in order to keep the UFC away from nipping at their financial heels.
In my opinion, I don't UFC can or will ever replace boxing. It is obvious that the sport is taking a major hit financially...and yes part of that is due to more "this minute" sports like UFC and other mixed-martial art forms taking the spotlight, but I believe a main reason that sport has gone into a kind of recession and giants like forman and tyson have retired. I think we need to give boxing a little while to revamp its roster and it will be back in full force in a few years.
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