+160

As the popularity of mixed martial arts increases, so do comparisons to boxing. MMA supporters argue their sport offers much more action, while boxing backers counter that they are treated to more cliff-hangers.

Oftentimes, the arguments get blurred because many MMA fans love boxing and vice versa. But which is likely to offer the most entertainment? Which sport would fans prefer?

These questions were put front and center Saturday night when mixed martial arts and boxing offered high-profile bouts simultaneously. Boxing presented a light heavyweight battle between Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe, while MMA countered with a UFC welterweight rematch pitting champion Matt Serra against Georges St. Pierre.

Aside from the combatants, other factors had to be taken into consideration. Hopkins-Calzaghe was being offered on HBO, while Serra-St. Pierre II was available only on pay-per-view.

In Hopkins-Calzaghe, fans were being presented with two of boxing's best pound-for-pound fighters. St. Pierre is among MMA's top three or four fighters pound-for-pound, but Serra is regarded by many as a flash in the pan.

Other factors needed to be considered before making a final decision. Fans had to take into account fighting styles.

Hopkins is known for being very deliberate, while Calzaghe is a rapid puncher who loves to apply pressure. Whoever imposed his will was likely to come out victorious.

With Serra-St. Pierre, fans had a better idea of what would transpire. The two fought previously at UFC 69 on April 7, 2007. Serra shocked the MMA world that night with a TKO at 3:25 of the first round.

Boxing got the jump on MMA by kicking off its broadcast 15 minutes earlier. And there were no preliminaries. Hopkins and Calzaghe got going right away, and they did not disappoint.

Hopkins went right at Calzaghe, even dropping him in the opening round for a 10-8 scoring advantage. The action continued at a relatively quick pace for much of the second and third rounds.

But by the fourth, Hopkins, 43, began to slow down. He resorted to holding whenever the action got close. This drew jeers from the 14,213 in attendance at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

For those at home, the fourth round of Hopkins-Calzaghe signaled the time to pluck down $44.95 and catch Serra and St. Pierre. The electricity generated by the 21,390 at the Bell Centre in Montreal would make it difficult to turn back to B-Hop and Calzaghe.

Based on their initial encounter, many fans expected to see another toe-to-toe affair. That did not happen. St. Pierre immediately went for the takedown and began pounding on Serra, whose tremendous jiu-jitsu kept him from being pounded out quickly.

The action was intense, with St. Pierre dominating. When the round was over, Serra had the scars of a beaten warrior. But there is no quit in Serra and MMA fans had to know that crowning a new UFC welterweight champion was not a foregone conclusion.

"[The nonstop action is] what makes mixed martial arts so strong," said longtime boxing and MMA trainer Don House. "In mixed martial arts, somebody's going to bleed, somebody's going to tap out or somebody's going to get knocked out.

"Only three out of 10 fights will go the distance. But in those other seven fights … somebody is getting knocked out or they're tapping out, period."

Serra-St. Pierre ended much like the majority of mixed martial arts battles. St. Pierre regained his title and revenge with a TKO at 4:45 of the second round.

While Serra and St. Pierre settled their dispute in quick fashion, Hopkins and Calzaghe needed a lot more time to conclude matters. By the fifth round, the momentum had swung toward Calzaghe.

He was hitting Hopkins repeatedly, though none of the punches did damage. And while it appeared Calzaghe was ahead, the outcome remained in doubt.

The uncertainty of who would get the decision provided much of the drama. There just wasn't a lot of action as Hopkins held Calzaghe for long stretches of time. Despite the slow pace, not all boxing fans were disappointed.

"It was a very tactical fight," said Harold Knight, the longtime assistant trainer for former boxing heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. "There wasn't much drama; it was more for the boxing purists.

"It was good for boxing because it was a throwback-type fight. It was two good fighters taking on each other. It just goes to show that boxing is around to stay; it's not going anywhere."

UFC light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans is a huge boxing fan; he watched Hopkins-Calzaghe and Serra-St. Pierre. Evans admits enjoying each fight, but when pressed to pick the one he liked most …

"I enjoyed the Serra-St. Pierre fight more," said Evans, who has a June 7 date in London with former UFC 205-pound champion Chuck Liddell. "There was more action, plan and simple. Watching the Hopkins-Calzaghe fight, it wasn't clear that Calzaghe won."

Based solely on entertainment, which sport came out on top Saturday night? It appears the edge goes to MMA due to the nature of the combatants' fighting styles.

"The UFC will always have more action than a Hopkins fight," House said. "Hopkins did the same thing he'd done in his last three or four fights -- just enough to lose."

That sentiment is shared by Evans. But he refuses to place full blame on Hopkins. Evans points to the way MMA fights are more likely to conclude: quickly.

"In mixed martial arts it's all about the finish. Even though you can be technically good, a Bernard Hopkins-type of fighter, fans want to see the finish," Evans said. "They want to see a guy get caught in a submission or get caught with a kick, something that makes them say, 'Wow! Did you see that?' Boxing has lost a lot of that.

"The days of [Marvin] Hagler and [Thomas] Hearns, guys who went out there and burned it up right away, are over. Mixed martial arts still has that.

"Now who is to say in 20 years, when everybody is technically on a different level, it won't go down the same path as boxing? But right now, in MMA's early stages, everything is so raw. Everybody just goes for the finish every single time."



Franklin McNeil covers boxing and mixed martial arts for The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J.




After all of this all I have to say why would pick Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Calzaghe to square boxing and MMA off against each other. You are gonna compare two knock down drag out untalented MMA punks.Vs 2 professional standup boxer's.You've got to be kidding me.Now compare these two again on July 26 or us it June 26 when Cotto vs Maragrito fight.Then we will see what real fighting is all about.

+59

MMA is crap....their belief that merging ALL styles of fighting makes for better fighting is the equivilant of thinking that if we got The Mona Lisa, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, The Starry Night, and Guernica and mashed them all together then we'd have better art.


MMA is crap and their fans are crap as well

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Let's not get a-head of ourselves David

That's no way to get a-head in life

Now is not the time to lose one's head


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+254

Let's play a game called pick out the MMA fighter, shall we?



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aaaaa hahahaha.

must. breath. too funny hahahaha

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::BOWS::

Dude, turn around... look...no, seriously... 2 guys are banging!!!

While boxing is always going to be the #1 sport for me above any other I will admit that I like MMA...Thing with MMA is many of the fights are technical and you have to appreciate the style EG Ju Jitsu and often slow on the ground action...almost like watching a fight between two counter punchers....

MMA has exciting moments and great KO's but they come less often and it is hard to get behind guys you don't know and be hyped up about it....

So in the end Boxing IMO is always going to reign superior but I am not going to deny I enjoy MMA on occassion

I think they are two different animals and can't be compared...

Is that a tribal tattoo You know, you don't see many of those these days ....and on an MMA fighter, well isn't that new and different




Um, excuse me.....I'm looking for a Mr. Cool Ice......anyone seen him around That's Cool as in "Tattoo's are cool" and ICE as in the Foreigner song "Cold as Ice"......so if anyone sees him, let me know.

They are two different sports, one no better than the other. You people who say "fuck MMA, its garbage, ect" should be ashamed of yourselves. You're just as ignorant as the MMA fans who claim boxing is outdated and boring.

Of course MMA and boxing are going to clash and compete for the public's dollar, but why do MMA and boxing fans have to clash too? I believe if you're a true fight fan, you can easily like and follow both of them, because both (along with K-1) have some fantastic, skilled athletes and put on great fights for the fans.

Lets try to chill out, lose the elitist attitudes and just enjoy good fights, no matter what rules they are held under.

lol

Those tatoo's are about the same quality of Umanga's face tatoo's in the WWE....The artist should be ashamed for charging him....

+28

.....I am not ashamed of myself....when MMA decides to not have a fan base of douchebags then I'll try my damnedest to give it some respect...until then you're either going to have to ignore me OR debate me....I suggest ignoring it would be easier for both of us and you never know, if people don't bring MMA up then maybe I won't continue to shit all over it.


That chinese dude has the fucking Olympic rings on his forehead....seriously? Do the chinese Olympics mean THAT much to you? Oh wait a second, I think he's the favorite to win the rickshaw races this summer.....yes I know it's a bit un-PC but I'm willing to sacrifice other people's feelings in the name of humor, because that IS funny.

As for the white guy with the face full of tats under Mr. CooL ICE....it looks like someone played a practical joke on Michael Moore when he was passed out after 5 hours of binge eating at the Golden Corral.

The "quintisental douchebag" looks like Paulie Malinaggi and Peter Manfredo had a baby....and yes I realize that Paulie and Peter are boxers but that doesn't stop them from being douchebags.

And the musclehead under the Malinaggi-Manfredo hybrid looks like he lackered his hair...is there anymore hair gel left in New Jersey buddy

Anyone notice how many Italian-Americans there are in these pictures? I'm not saying.......I'm just saying....it's an awful strange coincidence.








Bigragu is going to kill me but at least I didn't call them wops.....I thought about it though.......really really hard hahahahaha.

Oh and if anyone gets offended at my previous post, I am sorry....I'm really not a bigot
























.... I just play one on Saddo's.



But no seriously, if anyone has their feelings hurt, I am sorry beforehand

I will be honest and say I just pee'd a little

5 billion dollars says that blonde that's with Mr. Hair Gel has a "tramp stamp"....you know the tattoo right over a girl's ass....I'm betting perhaps a butterfly or maybe even a popcicle melting or something that a prostitute or a porn star would have.






she probably has a cesarean scar as well




But alas, I am just guessing