Boxing v. UFC: A Shifting Paradigm

Boxing has been not only the major fighting sports in the USA, but one of the greatest sports to watch. You have Rocky Marciano's undefeated record, Muhammed Ali and his infamous style, swagger, and battles, to Mike Tyson, arguably the most bizzare fighter of our time. Don King has been a huge figurehead and promoter as well.

Now times are changing. There is no longer a legitimate heavyweight title contender, and the fights have less action in the lower weight classes. One must watch an MMA fight to satisfy that desire to see blood, shiners, teeth knocked out, etc. Whether it be UFC, Strikeforce, or Saturday Night Fights, MMA has moved to the head of the table.

Back in the early 90s, UFC didn't receive much publicity and was extremely violent. You had legends like the Gracie family and the Shamrocks that were relentless in the famed Octagon. Then Dana White came in, as did many sponsors such as TapOut, and the sport became cleaner, less violent and more mainstream. You have about 14 UFC fight cards a year, with about 5 of these being major ones. Fighters such as Rampage Jackson, GSP, Shields, and Couture have solidified the sport.

And yes it is a sport. Sorry boxing fans.

Boxing is basically boring now. It suffered from quick knockouts, lack of serious contenders, decreased action in the ring, and corruption from Don King. You may have two major fight cards/year now, which fall short in too many areas when compared to MMA.

Granted even I will admit there are too many UFC fight cards in a given year. Heck UFC 129, one of the best fight cards yet, was like the 4th card this year.

On Saturday, May 5th, Floyd Mayweather will be fighting yet again, but still not facing Manny Pacquiano. To me, people are mostly hyped for this fight because they're still holding onto hope that boxing will improve overnight. It's either that or the lack of quality boxing matches.

Personally, I'm a huge boxing fan and I would love to see boxing return to its level pre 90s. But I like MMA also and it offers the elements that make a fight exciting and tough. Grittiness is a must, and is permeated throughout MMA octagons.

When will we FINALLY see Mayweather/Pac? Or will the fight be another snoozefest?

Either way, UFC isn't going anywhere anytime soon and always provides the fun and violence that hand to hand combat is supposed to have.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7