Why is MMA a threat to boxing?

[El Kabong]

I think against the right fighters, Rampage and Chuck could have won a few fights before being found out.

Would Chuck had been KO'd though with bigger gloves and a rule to stop you smashing his face in when he's on the floor?

What do they weigh out of interest?

They would both be cruiserweights 205 is light heavyweight in UFC

Yes Chuck would have been KO'd because unlike MMA you HAVE to get up by 10 and then come to scratch...if he got up, he'd still be shakey and easy to pick off.

[Drago]

I haven't read through the thread because I'm a bit drunk and more than a bit lazy, but MMA is a threat to boxing because it's well-organized, appealing to the casual fan, and because the best fighters are constantly matched up against one another. There is only one major body (UFC) and *gasp* the best fighters actually fight each other without any prima donna bullshit because a) the fights are easier to make thanks to the absolute control exercised by UFC and b) because losses are acceptable and don't seem to derail careers the way they do in boxing. MMA learned from everything that boxing has done wrong over the last 30 years and has created a sport that casual fans actually care about. Divisional champions are easy to identify and stacked cards with the best fighters actually fighting one another occur on a regular basis. The incestuous, fractured, and often overtly corrupt nature of boxing is a joke compared with the way MMA (in the form of UFC) is run.

In my mind boxing is a far superior sport, but it's organized and run in such an inept way that it is slowly killing itself.

good post for a piss head

the cards are stacked for sure, there hasnt been a good big fight with a decent undercard for a long time in boxing?

[Drago]

Just out of curiosity, is boxing still on regular network tv in the UK? For boxing has completely disappear from regular network tv in the USA since the late 80s.

There's no question in my mind that the reason why boxing is now a niche sport in the USA (for most of the 80s it was still a mainstream sport in the US) is because of it's disappearance from regular network tv.

Unfortunately boxing has pretty much gone from terrestrial tv in the UK, Sky now have the majority of all bouts being televised, so if ya dont subscribe then ya knackered. ITV and BBC did have a go at it a few years back but didnt really do a good enough job and now it's fell on it's arse. It's a shame as back in the 80's ITV was the home of big time boxing !


On another note, Arlovski would have done well as his base was kickboxing, so yea he has a good base to start with, whereas, like ya say, the wrestlers would prefer the takedown and then ground and pound.

sky are probably at the worst point ever not even the super six fights are on

itv show a little usually british cards

espn show friday night fights & rerun old tyson fights constantly

bbc have given up all together except amatuer boxing & a few big fights on bbc radio (thanks alot are we still in ther fkin 1930's)

setanta sports was the best thing that happened to boxing in the uk, they really made an effort, but they fell on there arse

UFC can & i believe will take over boxing in the UK unless terrestrial tv gets involved

[The Student]

Plain and simple, we watch sports because we crave excitement. When kickboxing emerged and I m not talking the Thai version which has been around almost forever with a little exaggeration of course, Someone once said that those of us that crave violent sports invented another one. I really give a rat's ass about yuppies that did not have the stomach to watch a man's sport so they started by canceling a high rated show on cable network USA. Let';s face it, there are those of us that are squeamish and there are those of us that can't get enough. We are fans. while those hypocrites trying to abolish boxing and focus their attention on our sport. MMA was stepping up to the plate, raw and unorganized. Boxing has been around and taken a beating from people outside the boundaries of fans like us. MMA has rules that I can't abide by and when yopu are on the floor and get hit behind the head while you are down, where's the sport in that you might ask. All I can say is to each his own and if the MMA makes you happy then more power to you. I have been practicing martial arts in dojos and not in a ring and I boxed amateur but now remember this, Boxing has risen again but those promoters and those wannabe executives that never broke a sweat in their lives are the real threat to boxing. I usually find one more quality in all the gyms I frequent, there are more gentlemen in boxing than in other sports and I mean the fighters.

Actually most MMA organizations, well any recognized and sanctioned organizations do not allow hitting in the back of the head at all.

MMA has rules, as does boxing... The rules are just very different as they are two very different sports. The ground game is an integral part of MMA. The only time you can hit someone when they are on the ground is when they have the ability to intelligently defend themselves.

Tons of fights are won by fighters who are on their back.

I'm a fan of both sports, I think they're both great for their own reasons. The main reason why MMA is a threat to boxing is the UFC and their marketing machine. As someone already mentioned they have studied boxing's structure and are capitalizing on their mistakes.

Also I noticed that here in Toronto atleast, they've been able to really capture the younger audiences.. some of who still enjoy boxing (but that seems to be the more mature ones). When I talk to younger guys it seems like that whole 'cage fighting' and the illusion of raw, no rules, anything can happen stuff is what appeals to them most.

I personally think that boxing and mma will co-exist. But boxing needs to take a few lessons from the ufc as the ufc took lessons from boxing and become aggressive with their marketing and promo. The MMA is constantly growing not because it's a superior sport but because the guys behind it have a more long term vision and a better business model, imo.

[Drago]

the average age of a boxing fan is alot older than the average age of mma fan, there lies the foundation for mma to overtake boxing.

[Drago]

plus its easier for a boxing fan to get into mma than vice versa what with boxing having 17 weight catagories & multiple titles!

[Kev]

I've been getting more and more into MMA over the last three or so years. I used to be a hater but now I get more pumped for a UFC card than I do for all but the biggest boxing fights.

I'm not sure how the OP can say MMA is boring, for the most part it's far more entertaining than boxing imo. Better matchups, far more variety in fights, stacked fightcards, less predictable, more upsets, more brutal, it's a great, great sport imo.

Compare the recent UFC cards with the supposedly 'stacked' Marquez Diaz 2 boxing card. That was supposed to be one of the best boxing cards top to bottom and the undercard was mostly dull dull dull. I found the Linares Juarez and Casamayor Gurerro fights painful to watch. It did liven up a lot when Daniel Jacobs got knocked out and the main event was pretty good, but I found the UFC far more entertaining, the Nelson Dos Santos fight was great, Matt Hughes won in impressive style, Clay Guida is always entertaining and the main event for me was epic with Anderson Silva getting a 4 round beat down before saving himself from disaster in the last round.

There's hardly ever a boxing event that can compare top to bottom like that and the UFC does it pretty much routinely now. It's not just them either Showtimes Strikeforce shows have had some great fights too, and unlike woman's boxing which is sleep inducing, the girls in MMA can really kick ass and put on some epic slugfests.


MMA is a great sport, it's still in its infancy but its establishing itself as a major rival to boxing right now.

Guys like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Rampage Jackson are bigger household names than most boxers now as evidenced by the fact that both Jackson and Couture (and even Bob Sapp) have made the transition to films.

It's just got a much younger, cooler image and is eaiser to understand and more viscarally appealing to the casual fan.

[El Kabong]

Those same people that like the "younger cooler image" of UFC also like Jersey Shore.....so no thank you.

[Kev]

Those same people that like the "younger cooler image" of UFC also like Jersey Shore.....so no thank you.

ha I know what you're saying but imo fighting is supposed to be a raw sport, yet boxing's image is tuxedo's and bow ties, whereas UFC's is baseball caps, affliction clothing and tatoos. You can mock it, but that more appeals to the mentality of most who enjoy watching fights.

Boxing in order to gain credibility over the years has tried to civilise combat, turning into pugilism with the Queensbury rules, a respectible sport. MMA has aimed for those who like explosions, big action movies and rap music. They have embraced things like Twitter and actively associate themselves with younger interests. It's simply more hip. The purists can look down on it, the same way we might look down on the Twilight films. But it wont stop angst ridden teens flocking to the cinema in their tens of thousands to catch a glimpse of Edward Cullen....

[El Kabong]

I'm more than willing to wear a tux...I wouldn't be caught dead in an Affliction t-shirt.

There's "classy" and then there's "classless" and I prefer boxing to be classy.

[Mattyhitman]

I've been getting more and more into MMA over the last three or so years. I used to be a hater but now I get more pumped for a UFC card than I do for all but the biggest boxing fights.

I'm not sure how the OP can say MMA is boring, for the most part it's far more entertaining than boxing imo. Better matchups, far more variety in fights, stacked fightcards, less predictable, more upsets, more brutal, it's a great, great sport imo.

Compare the recent UFC cards with the supposedly 'stacked' Marquez Diaz 2 boxing card. That was supposed to be one of the best boxing cards top to bottom and the undercard was mostly dull dull dull. I found the Linares Juarez and Casamayor Gurerro fights painful to watch. It did liven up a lot when Daniel Jacobs got knocked out and the main event was pretty good, but I found the UFC far more entertaining, the Nelson Dos Santos fight was great, Matt Hughes won in impressive style, Clay Guida is always entertaining and the main event for me was epic with Anderson Silva getting a 4 round beat down before saving himself from disaster in the last round.

There's hardly ever a boxing event that can compare top to bottom like that and the UFC does it pretty much routinely now. It's not just them either Showtimes Strikeforce shows have had some great fights too, and unlike woman's boxing which is sleep inducing, the girls in MMA can really kick ass and put on some epic slugfests.


MMA is a great sport, it's still in its infancy but its establishing itself as a major rival to boxing right now.

Guys like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Rampage Jackson are bigger household names than most boxers now as evidenced by the fact that both Jackson and Couture (and even Bob Sapp) have made the transition to films.

It's just got a much younger, cooler image and is eaiser to understand and more viscarally appealing to the casual fan.

Great post Bilbo !



Lyle - would you rather watch a boring card of boxing with a suit on, or an exciting stacked UFC card in you jeans and t-shirt ?

I know which i would rather watch, but then you are a fan of the Klits, so i guess i've answered my question really

[Beanflicker]

I think that overall MMA has actually helped boxing in a lot of ways. Dana White (UFC's president) structured the UFC to avoid all of the things that are rotten with boxing today. Instead of paying $50 for one fight you want to watch, you get multiple big, relevant fights per card. In the UFC, the best are CONSTANTLY fighting the best. There is no "Well I want a 60/40 split" or any of that crap. If you are the champ, you are fighting the #1 contenders. There are no easy fights in the UFC anymore.

I think the level of compedition the UFC has brought has actually helped boxing. It has put a ton of pressure on promoters to make the BIG fights happen and give the consumer more bang for their buck.

Of course an MMA guy will never have the handskills of a pro boxer, but thats because a pro boxer trains his hands 100% of the time. The MMA guy has to learn boxing, muay thai (punching/kicking/kneeing/elbowing), wrestling, BJJ. He has to learn to attack from many different positions and, conversely, defend from many different positions and defend so many different types of attacks.

For people who don't believe MMA fighting requires much skill, believe me when I tell you that you are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. I remember thinking boxing was boring as hell when I was a kid. I didn't understand it, why were these guys dancing around and throwing weak-looking punches at each other (jabs)? Why didn't they just run out and KO each other? Obviously that kind of ignorance wears off when you watch and learn more about the sport. Same thing in this case. What looks like two men rolling around on the ground actually involves a plethora of technique, skill and know-how.

[Gandalf]

I have never seen the appeal of MMA and Toney's recent conversion upset me a bit. Boxing is a far finer sport but unfortunately is losing out because of egos and an unwillingless to just get it on and fight. We have the Mayweather/Pac and Klitschko/Haye fights as prime examples. Stylistically boxing is the ultimate in contact sports (for me anyway), but the fans keep on getting short changed. I can understand why people like Bilbo are moving more towards MMA, but it's something I don't want to move towards. But boxing is getting harder to simply sit back and enjoy 'coz the fights just aren't happening. And for sure the undercards usually suck.

It's a shame really as boxing fans deserve better. It's becoming evermore sidelined except for the big fights.

[El Kabong]

Matty, not all boxing cards are boring and not all MMA cards are exciting. I enjoy watching SKILL, so while I can appreciate a GSP or Anderson Silva or Machida...I would much rather watch skilled boxers.

[Mattyhitman]

Matty, not all boxing cards are boring and not all MMA cards are exciting. I enjoy watching SKILL, so while I can appreciate a GSP or Anderson Silva or Machida...I would much rather watch skilled boxers.

Yea mate i know not ALL boxing cards are boring, and in same breath ALL UFC cards are not full of great action. I was just intrigued by you comment that you prefer boxing to be 'classy' rather than class-less, which is how ya described MMA.

If the fans turned up to UFC events dressed in whistle & flutes would that make it classy then ?