HBO shifting from boxing to UFC!!

OCTAGON FIGHTS COMING TO HBO REAL SOON

New York, NY-Over the past couple of years, and really in the last six months, I’ve told you about Mixed Martial Arts, the Ultimate Fighting Championships, and its rapid rise in popularity. With periodicals like the New York Times, probably the main reason the UFC was (and is) barred in New York in the first place, now penning positive pieces and so on, you just knew that the UFC and HBO were going to come together.

DISCUSSIONS TURNED QUICKLY TO NEGOTIATIONS?



Sources close to both entities have admitted, “off the record,” that discussions soon turned into negotiations. It seems as if an announcement is forthcoming. Although there will be no deviation from the current boxing programming, HBO realizes, as do advertisers, that boxing fans are an older cut of society. The MMA, or in this case UFC, with great numbers of males 18-35 as fans, is where the masses are heading.

CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF BOXING SLICING ITS THROAT

For years, I have tried to wake boxing up. Unfortunately, the sport wouldn’t or didn’t want to listen. That decision on ESPN 2 Friday night is a classic example of why boxing is dying and MMA is thriving. TV analyst, Teddy Atlas, had the fight 118-110 for Naoufel Ben Rabah over Juan Urango. One judge tabbed the main event 117-111, this for Urango. Nobody is going to tell me that the knowledgeable Atlas, who recently released a pretty good book, was 15 points wrong. Not in this lifetime fight fans!

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS HITTING BALL OUT OF PARK!

When 18,000+ showed up a couple of months ago to see Frank Shamrock devour a wanna’ be, Gracie, in San Jose, CA, people in boxing were still in denial. While we know 15,000 showed up for the Matt Hughes-Royce Gracie match a fortnight ago in Los Angeles, we don’t have access to the Pay Per View numbers. That’s one of the things the UFC CEO, Dana White, is real funny about.

WHITE IN THE LAS VEGAS PAPER SUNDAY

Love him or not, White, himself a former amateur boxer, runs the UFC for Lorenzo Fertitta’s Zuffa Sports. Having made inroads like no one could have ever imagined, say three years ago, White has to be given the most credit. While he’s not a guy to cross, there have been those who have clashed with White and left the company. They were welcomed back though, when it became good for business.

NO START UP DATE MENTIONED

I’m told that this will be a multi-fight deal, and that the UFC (White) will be in a position much like a boxing promoter. What puts Dana White and the UFC at such a great advantage is the success of the Ultimate Fighter series on Spike TV. Besides great ratings overall, the show has become the American Idol of Martial Arts. The ad rates that Spike charges have doubled in cost and demand, all because of the strong male 18-35 demographics. That’s the real story here. As advertisers continue to duck boxing, they are flocking to Spike and the UFC.

written by Pedro Fernandez.


oh yeh for boxing the end is nigh...

MMA shooting itself in the foot is bringing back these old time fighters for their stars to fight because there's no one else in the division thats as good. I would rather see a challenge then watch some one person dominate a division over and over against fighters I never heard of. What's a recent UFC superfight ???

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Originally Posted by Majesty

MMA shooting itself in the foot is bringing back these old time fighters for their stars to fight because there's no one else in the division thats as good. I would rather see a challenge then watch some one person dominate a division over and over against fighters I never heard of. What's a recent UFC superfight ???

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superfights or not at least you get a winner... Don't get me wrong I'm a die hard boxing fan but this article is sadly true. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see MMA in the 2012 Olympics.

Thing is, UFC needs superfights and champions in a division that can actually fight each other but it seems in each division they have one guy that just dominates everyone else in that one division and thats good enough for them. I would like to see someone actually Rival to Rich Franklin, Rival to Matt Hughes, Rival to Iceman Chuck, Rival to all those guys. In boxing there's at least potential superfights that can happen but the UFC seems content to have one major guy in a division dominate the division in each weight class.. no rivalries and no drama of fighters duckign each other and if there was any ring to settle it in it would be an MMA ring, where's the drama, where's the superfights where's the multiple stars in the same weight class or one above looking to fight each other? Where is it?

not going to happen. whats next? wwe on hbo? ::** no..........

WWE in boxing as James Toney is getting closer to Yokozuna at this moment.

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Originally Posted by Majesty

MMA shooting itself in the foot is bringing back these old time fighters for their stars to fight because there's no one else in the division thats as good. I would rather see a challenge then watch some one person dominate a division over and over against fighters I never heard of. What's a recent UFC superfight ???

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New champs taking on old champs is as old as fights themselves .

truthfully- mma is on the rise. most of their fights are exciting, more superfights, the fights jus happen, non of this nonsense about 'down the line....bigga n betta...' what bull.

in mma the fights happen very fast. it doesnt take 2 months to negotiate and two months to train.

ufc is not as exciting as pride but its good, if you think ufc is exciting then you';ll luv pride!!

The Olympic committee reluctantly keeps boxing... do you honestly think they are going to add even more contact sports? especially one like MMA?...

i think mma could become a olympic sport.

believe IT OR NOT, IN MMA YOU HAVE ALOT MORE THINGS TO LEARN AND TRAIN THAN IN BOXING.

Ufc on hbo...THATS THE FIRST STEP FOR MMA TO BECOME MORE POPULAR...

why wouldnt it? once every one knows about it and it is well televised, THE FANS WILL GET ALL THE MATCH UPS THEY WANT, WHEN EVER, LESS POLITICAL!

you a bigger variety of things to learn... but everybody is only capable of mastering so much... No one will ever perfect boxing, no one will ever perfect even one of the aspects of MMA... boxers will come a lot closer simply because they are focused on one thing... where as MMA fighters are generally average at a lot of things with one of two aspects they excell at.

Mark my words MMA will never become an Olympic sport... in the Olympics, boxing is more like fencing its so watered down... and a lot of the committee still wants to drop it... they will not take more combat sports on and I doubt MMA would work at the level the Olympic committee would want it diluted too...

ok maybe it wont become an olympic sport.

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boxers will come a lot closer simply because they are focused on one thing... where as MMA fighters are generally average at a lot of things with one of two aspects they excell at.

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in mma you could a fighter who is feared for their striking and has crap ground game, he will e taken tdown and submitted. then you get grapplers who are crap strikers, the striker will kepp the fight standing and knock the grappler out.

You often get great fighters like WANDERLEI SILVA and Fedor and nog, who are good at everything, striking and grappling, these guys are almost impossible to beat.

thats why there are exciting match-ups. when you get two fighter who are all rounders but their core is stand-up,... YOU ARE GUARANTEED A STAND UP WAR!!! :laugh:

^^^^its alot more interesting thn boxing at times...^^^^

after saying this it may seem that i dont like boxing but infact i am a solid boxing fan, i can never miss a fight.

i wont mind seeing a good boxer go up against a good mma fighter...it'll be interesting! ;D ;)

Boxing seems to sputter along to the die-hard fans who obsess over the outcomes and post religiously to an internet messeage board, but to the average fan it's pacing is perfect.

If there were any more PPV's a year than there are now you would need part-time employment to pay for them. It's hard enough to dodge your wife or girlfriend in order to see all the fights that are on now, more fights means more fights.

Spider-Man 3 comes out next May. I have waited a long time for it and have a long time left to wait, but when I am basking in the glory of it's opening credits the wait will seems all too worth it. It's the same for boxing, isn't it?

I think the long negotiations add to the seriousness of boxing. Sure, some of the fighters are out of shape and that's their problem. If they want to go in at a disadvantage it's their own foolish choice. Still, it's a career so they pick and choose.
MMA on the otherhand seems less like a career and more like a pastime. A "come one;come all" type of affair where you "step right up and test your skills." The times I have watched MMA I felt like they picked the fighters out of a mob who had gathered out back.

I think MMA may come into it's own but it isn't a threat to the already established sport of boxing. Boxing fans may start watching MMA but they will not abandon the sport they love to do it.

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Originally Posted by Hairdoo

OCTAGON FIGHTS COMING TO HBO REAL SOON

New York, NY-Over the past couple of years, and really in the last six months, I’ve told you about Mixed Martial Arts, the Ultimate Fighting Championships, and its rapid rise in popularity. With periodicals like the New York Times, probably the main reason the UFC was (and is) barred in New York in the first place, now penning positive pieces and so on, you just knew that the UFC and HBO were going to come together.

DISCUSSIONS TURNED QUICKLY TO NEGOTIATIONS?



Sources close to both entities have admitted, “off the record,” that discussions soon turned into negotiations. It seems as if an announcement is forthcoming. Although there will be no deviation from the current boxing programming, HBO realizes, as do advertisers, that boxing fans are an older cut of society. The MMA, or in this case UFC, with great numbers of males 18-35 as fans, is where the masses are heading.

CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF BOXING SLICING ITS THROAT

For years, I have tried to wake boxing up. Unfortunately, the sport wouldn’t or didn’t want to listen. That decision on ESPN 2 Friday night is a classic example of why boxing is dying and MMA is thriving. TV analyst, Teddy Atlas, had the fight 118-110 for Naoufel Ben Rabah over Juan Urango. One judge tabbed the main event 117-111, this for Urango. Nobody is going to tell me that the knowledgeable Atlas, who recently released a pretty good book, was 15 points wrong. Not in this lifetime fight fans!

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS HITTING BALL OUT OF PARK!

When 18,000+ showed up a couple of months ago to see Frank Shamrock devour a wanna’ be, Gracie, in San Jose, CA, people in boxing were still in denial. While we know 15,000 showed up for the Matt Hughes-Royce Gracie match a fortnight ago in Los Angeles, we don’t have access to the Pay Per View numbers. That’s one of the things the UFC CEO, Dana White, is real funny about.

WHITE IN THE LAS VEGAS PAPER SUNDAY

Love him or not, White, himself a former amateur boxer, runs the UFC for Lorenzo Fertitta’s Zuffa Sports. Having made inroads like no one could have ever imagined, say three years ago, White has to be given the most credit. While he’s not a guy to cross, there have been those who have clashed with White and left the company. They were welcomed back though, when it became good for business.

NO START UP DATE MENTIONED

I’m told that this will be a multi-fight deal, and that the UFC (White) will be in a position much like a boxing promoter. What puts Dana White and the UFC at such a great advantage is the success of the Ultimate Fighter series on Spike TV. Besides great ratings overall, the show has become the American Idol of Martial Arts. The ad rates that Spike charges have doubled in cost and demand, all because of the strong male 18-35 demographics. That’s the real story here. As advertisers continue to duck boxing, they are flocking to Spike and the UFC.

written by Pedro Fernandez.


oh yeh for boxing the end is nigh...

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this mma stuff is a fad
its going to take a lot more than ufc to dethrone boxing

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Originally Posted by Majesty

MMA shooting itself in the foot is bringing back these old time fighters for their stars to fight because there's no one else in the division thats as good. I would rather see a challenge then watch some one person dominate a division over and over against fighters I never heard of. What's a recent UFC superfight ???

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the only superfights are happening in PRIDE...not the UFC.....and as for MMA taking over boxing ...That will never happen.......the UFC hasn't seen a dime from me since UFC 4..........

MMA is a fad it's true, they have no base like boxing to establish depth and by base I mean Amateur bouts, Olympics, Golden Gloves, European Amateur bouts, etc.

All MMA has is areas from where it MAY be able to draw from wrestling or what have you but who is gonna train these guys?

I think if HBO makes this switch this is a HUGE chance for either Versus or ESPN to grab up all the boxing talent

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Originally Posted by Lyle

MMA is a fad it's true, they have no base like boxing to establish depth and by base I mean Amateur bouts, Olympics, Golden Gloves, European Amateur bouts, etc.

All MMA has is areas from where it MAY be able to draw from wrestling or what have you but who is gonna train these guys?

I think if HBO makes this switch this is a HUGE chance for either Versus or ESPN to grab up all the boxing talent

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and it will put boxing back in the public eye and might give us more quality championship fights.......most people have at least basic cable.......

AMEN! That would be best for Boxing and it's dedicated viewers

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Originally Posted by Lyle

AMEN! That would be best for Boxing and it's dedicated viewers

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yeah....I know a ton of people that want to see the fights they just didn't have enough money for the extras......and with more fighters on espn it will bruing it home like back in the 70's and 80's when the fights were broadcasted over the big networks......

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Originally Posted by bigragu

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Originally Posted by Lyle

MMA is a fad it's true, they have no base like boxing to establish depth and by base I mean Amateur bouts, Olympics, Golden Gloves, European Amateur bouts, etc.

All MMA has is areas from where it MAY be able to draw from wrestling or what have you but who is gonna train these guys?

I think if HBO makes this switch this is a HUGE chance for either Versus or ESPN to grab up all the boxing talent

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and it will put boxing back in the public eye and might give us more quality championship fights.......most people have at least basic cable.......

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hbo cant be that dumb...............theyre not gonna can boxing for ufc/mma rubbish for one very big reason.......there is NOT NEARLY enough money in ufc/mma (ill start believing it when a ufc champ starts getting 6 million dollar guarantees for a fight)

look at the average ufc/mma viewer, then look at boxing fans

15 year old kids are probably not going to be able to talk their parents into buying hbo just so they can see the latest super fight (i think they have about 200 per year)


boxing is a science, it is a class sport (with a few individual exceptions) it is for the most part for sophisticated viewers

hbo may bring on ufc/mma.......
but no way in hell does that crap push boxing out the door ;)

I think MMA's popularity will ultimatley help boxing. They aren't taking boxing fans away from boxing, they are creating new combat sport fans.

I'm primarily a boxing guy, but MMA is really interesting. Also, fights are more easily made because fighters fight for peanuts in the UFC. Thats probably why that don't release PPV numbers. You'd have a lot of pissed off super fighters.

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Originally Posted by frozensolid_702

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Originally Posted by bigragu

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Originally Posted by Lyle

MMA is a fad it's true, they have no base like boxing to establish depth and by base I mean Amateur bouts, Olympics, Golden Gloves, European Amateur bouts, etc.

All MMA has is areas from where it MAY be able to draw from wrestling or what have you but who is gonna train these guys?

I think if HBO makes this switch this is a HUGE chance for either Versus or ESPN to grab up all the boxing talent

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and it will put boxing back in the public eye and might give us more quality championship fights.......most people have at least basic cable.......

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hbo cant be that dumb...............theyre not gonna can boxing for ufc/mma rubbish for one very big reason.......there is NOT NEARLY enough money in ufc/mma (ill start believing it when a ufc champ starts getting 6 million dollar guarantees for a fight)

look at the average ufc/mma viewer, then look at boxing fans

15 year old kids are probably not going to be able to talk their parents into buying hbo just so they can see the latest super fight (i think they have about 200 per year)


boxing is a science, it is a class sport (with a few individual exceptions) it is for the most part for sophisticated viewers

hbo may bring on ufc/mma.......
but no way in hell does that crap push boxing out the door ;)

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I agree with you 100%.....we'll have to see......

UFC and/MMA in the olympics? Let me think..............

No way in hell.

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Originally Posted by 1st rd ko

UFC and/MMA in the olympics? Let me think..............

No way in hell.

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I was just sensationalising a little to get the ball rolling ;)

but i do believe MMA will surpass boxing in terms of popularity and $$$ in years to come, just look at it rate of growth.

We need another 'Iron' Mike Tyson... ;D

What MMA and UFC will do for boxing is hopefully get rid of crooked promoters and alphabet organizations so we will get the big fights everyone wants to see

sorry to say but boxing's prime is long gone and will never return
look at the past few decisions
off the top of my head,
rocky juarez vs. barrera, winky vs. jt, castillo not making weight, and some other ones
but these are really recent and these are the superfights
who wants to watch a superfight only to see the results were already pre determined
might as well watch WWE
dont get me wrong, i'm a boxer and a big boxing fan, but i'm an even bigger MMA fan now
too many boxers dodging this guy or that guy because of this reason or that reason
sorry boxing, R.I.P.

byt the way there is amatuer mma.
forget the olympic thing by the way.

i have just checked an mma forum and it is also mentioned about the hbo deal!! :)

there isnt enogh money in ufc, there is more in pride tho.

how could you call mma Rubbish???

it has better fighters, = better fights, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IF THE FANS WANT TWO FIGHTERS TO FIGHT, THEY WILL FIGHT, NON OF THIS ' down the line...bigga n betta.'

boxing is good but i think mma is better, you guys havent followed mma properly and your commenting on it like its bull. BACK THEN (10 YEARS AGO) THE FIGHTS WERE BRAWLS WITH HARDLY ANYONE KNOWING GRAPPLING, NOW IT IS TECHNICAL BUT STILL BRUTAL, THATS HOW IT SHOULD BE!

mma in a fews years will surpass boxing in $$$ and popularity for the reasons above!

if you hear the discussions about the fights on mma forums, it really hypes you up cos anything could happen! different opinions!

i am a big fan of both and IN MY OPINION MMA IS MUCH MORE EXCITING TO WATCH AND YOU GET THE FIGHTS YOU WANT. all of you lot have been crying about mayweather to fight hatton or margarito or cotto...I N MMA THAT FIGHT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!!!!!!

when i show you a clip of these fights, secretly you are EXCITED AND ARE LOVING IT, BUT YOU THEN SAY ITS JUST A SUPERVISED BRAWL COS YOU CANT ADMIT ITS BETTA THAN BOXING TO WATCH!
SUPERFIGHTS? there have been loads over the past two years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!lmao you make me laugh!
btw dont talk crap about something you dont know.

enough said ! ;)

Boxing needs to put together better cards there should be more than one champion on every fight card

I often watch UFc or PRIDE events and there are 3 or 4 big fights which i can't wait to see theres rarely even 2 big fights on a boxing card

seems the only time you get 2 big fights is when the winners are set to face each other like when Morales and Pac fought guys as a prelim to their fight and Morales frickin lost

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Originally Posted by Hairdoo

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Originally Posted by 1st rd ko

UFC and/MMA in the olympics? Let me think..............

No way in hell.

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I was just sensationalising a little to get the ball rolling ;)

but i do believe MMA will surpass boxing in terms of popularity and $$$ in years to come, just look at it rate of growth.

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well said punch drunk :)

boxing needs to 1) have just one champ per devision (world champ)
2)put better cards together!
3) give the fans the fights and stop bitching about em.
4)referees need to be like referees in the 50's ;D

MMA, Pride, UFC, etc might feel great right now but Boxing will never die in it's darkest hour it has born fighters greater than ANYTHING the MMA groups could produce.

Dempsey, Tyson, Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Ray Leonard and so on.

I will never ever like MMA, it's two guys rolling around on the ground, it's not extremely strategic it is more WWE than boxing

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Originally Posted by Lionheart Lacy

1. You often get great fighters like WANDERLEI SILVA and Fedor and nog, who are good at everything, striking and grappling, these guys are almost impossible to beat.

2. i wont mind seeing a good boxer go up against a good mma fighter...it'll be interesting! ;D ;)

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1. Vanderlei got beaten up badly by Tito Ortiz. The way you beat Vanderlei is with counters as he runs in. Not taking anything away from his accomplishments. But thats how you would beat him.

2. And in a boxing match an MMA fighter would be knocked out. In am MMA fight against a boxer a grappler would submit the boxer if he didn't get caught first.

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. Vanderlei got beaten up badly by Tito Ortiz. The way you beat Vanderlei is with counters as he runs in. Not taking anything away from his accomplishments. But thats how you would beat him.

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1) Wanderlei's lost to tito was controversial. silva knokced tito down and then chased him across the octagon to give him a few more cracks. they were both kids, jus look at that fight compared to them now. silva wont be known as p4p greatest if he could be simply beaten as you have said. ;)
he's never been knocked out either, he handed rampage, kondo, and saku there first ko and tko loses.

2)in a boxing match a boxer is very likely to win. but power wise, silvas punches or fedors could easily be as hard or harder than a boxers, skill wise boxers in hand department are betta but power and speed, that is natural.

....they don't punch as hard as boxers of the same size...maybe Audley Harrison but not anyone else. Taking nothing away from them, it's just their style takes the power, speed, and accuracy away from them, they could be taught to throw better punches but it would take a while

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Originally Posted by Majesty

MMA shooting itself in the foot is bringing back these old time fighters for their stars to fight because there's no one else in the division thats as good. I would rather see a challenge then watch some one person dominate a division over and over against fighters I never heard of. What's a recent UFC superfight ???

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Well what alot of people fail to realize is that UFC is not the only MMA company nor is it even a great one at that, it's just based in the US & thats why many view it as great! In all actuallity most UFC fighters aren't even that good & have mediocre skill levels compaired to other MMA comapnies especially the MMA fighting mecca company PRIDE fighting championship which is based on top level & Black Belt level fighters with great skill! INO, UFC fighters would look really bad in the ring with PRIDE fighters: for example: Antonio Nogiera or Fedor Ememlienko VS. Tim Silva or Andre Arloski, Matt Hughes VS. Wanderlei Silva or Mauricio "Sho GUN" Rua, etc etc!!!! The quality difference is far apart & those who have not yet seen Pride need to go out and watch it! www.PrideFC.com

I like ultimate fighting for it really does give a better idea of who the better all around fighter is but I have always had the feeling that the sport is somehow protected you know kind of like PBF has been protected by HBO.

I mean I just can not believe that we have not seen any even slightly notorious boxers compete in the UFC. With the thousands of money hungry boxers with their fight anyone, anytime, anywhere attitides around the world it only makes snce that some of them have tried to compete in this sport; but yet where are they. Does the UFC or the MMC or whatever they call it regulate who is allowed to compete? Do you have to have some sort of black belt or a certain amount UFC fights to before you are allowed in the big money fights? There has to be a catch here and I think it has to do the UFC MMC being afraid that some mediocre boxer could embarras this sport. However, as I have said before, there are good boxers that cant do a thing once they are taken to the ground but I remain skeptical of ultimate fighting so far.

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Originally Posted by Lionheart Lacy

he's never been knocked out either, he handed rampage, kondo, and saku there first ko and tko loses.

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Belfort knocked him out in under a minute. But he has improved since then.

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Originally Posted by BoxingGorilla

A "come one;come all" type of affair where you "step right up and test your skills." The times I have watched MMA I felt like they picked the fighters out of a mob who had gathered out back.

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That is because you do not appreciate the finer points of what they are doing, my friend. Just because a good MMA fighter does not possess the punching ability of a good boxer does not mean the MMA fighter is not highly skilled; he is trained in ranges of combat (wrestling, jiu-jitsu, etc.) that the boxer has no idea about. If they fought, the MMA fighter would simply use his other skills to take the boxer to the ground and submit him. I am not trying to denigrate boxing, I just want to make the point that they are two great sports with incredibly skilled combatants in each.