If UFC can do it, why can't the WBC/WBA/IBF Etc..

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

I was reading an article on the prospect of one governing body in boxing and it got me thinking about the Sanctioning bodies, TV companies and promoters and how they could work together in a way that was better for Boxing overall.

For me, TV holds the Key and Promoters are the biggest problem, in a sense.

I look at UFC, who are effectively both a sanctioning body and a promotional company, and wonder why a long standing sanctioning body like the WBC has never thought to strike up a deal with a Major Network like HBO? This would mean that promoters would have to stage shows for the WBC meaning the WBC would get to pick the best shows from a wide range of promoters and pass on the most lucrative shows for TV coverage.

TV wins because the best shows are coming from more every promoter who's fighter is sanctioned to the WBC.

The Promoters loose out if they choose not to go with the Sanctioning body with the big TV deal.

The sanctioning body wins because they have all the traffic.

Fans win for obvious reasons.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Hope that made sense by the way...

But seriously, my question is Why a sanctioning body has never really tried to approach the TV networks in this way


Alternatively, HBO could create their own belt then that would be that

[HattonTheHammer]

mate if a simple organisation like the ufc cant do this what chance has boxing

we`ve all been campaigning for years for a single unified weight title and we are nowhere near to getting it.

Sad reality is that until the powers above pull their fingers out and sacrifice money for the sport itself we are always going to be in this lull

[porkypara]

Hope that made sense by the way...

But seriously, my question is Why a sanctioning body has never really tried to approach the TV networks in this way


Alternatively, HBO could create their own belt then that would be that

I have thought this my self a few times.

I think its only a matter of time before another big MMA company is formed to rivel the UFC then they will have the same problems as boxing.

[Majesty]

Hope that made sense by the way...

But seriously, my question is Why a sanctioning body has never really tried to approach the TV networks in this way


Alternatively, HBO could create their own belt then that would be that

I have thought this my self a few times.

I think its only a matter of time before another big MMA company is formed to rivel the UFC then they will have the same problems as boxing.

Weren't around in the PRIDE vs UFC days were ya?

[porkypara]

Hope that made sense by the way...

But seriously, my question is Why a sanctioning body has never really tried to approach the TV networks in this way


Alternatively, HBO could create their own belt then that would be that

I have thought this my self a few times.

I think its only a matter of time before another big MMA company is formed to rivel the UFC then they will have the same problems as boxing.

Weren't around in the PRIDE vs UFC days were ya?

I guess not

Were they the ones that the UFC bought out?

[Kev]

Hope that made sense by the way...

But seriously, my question is Why a sanctioning body has never really tried to approach the TV networks in this way


Alternatively, HBO could create their own belt then that would be that

I have thought this my self a few times.

I think its only a matter of time before another big MMA company is formed to rivel the UFC then they will have the same problems as boxing.

Weren't around in the PRIDE vs UFC days were ya?

This is a point that often gets overlooked. In the UFC the best fight the best all the time and its great, but its only within that organisation.

When they bought Pride most of the best fighters not in the UFC were brought in under their new banner but not all.

We may never get to see the real giant best of matchups, Lesnar vs Fedor, Anderson Silva vs Cung Le, or as Le is a bit small for a middleweight maybe Cung le vs GSP, what a fight that would be.

Other strikeforce guys like Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler and Nate Diaz would make for some great fights against UFC stars as well yet realistically these fights are less likely to happen than any boxing matchups between rival sanctioning bodies.

We should also note the UFC has no space for the little guys, and popular stars like Uriah Faber and his two time conquerer Mike Brown fight outside of that organisation also.

The UFC isn't all encompassing and the absolute best fights in MMA don't in reality necessarily get made as some significant fighters are not controlled by Dana.

Strikeforce, with the backing of Showtime could go on to be a major force in mixed martial arts. Now that they have acquired Fedor as well they have arguably three of the most marketable stars in the world in Fedor, Cung Le and Gina Carrano.

I also like their willingness to take a risk and showcase women's martial arts which thanks largely to Carrano has proved a big attraction. In fact Carrano actually headlines the next Strikeforce event against Cyborg.

[Majesty]

I have thought this my self a few times.

I think its only a matter of time before another big MMA company is formed to rivel the UFC then they will have the same problems as boxing.

Weren't around in the PRIDE vs UFC days were ya?

I guess not

Were they the ones that the UFC bought out?

yeah but they went at it for YEARS. And amazingly after the UFC bought them out the first thing they did was unify the UFC and Pride titles by having their champions fight their champions in unification bouts. So if a Pride fighter signs to fight in the UFC they will put their belt up for grabs in a unification bout so that they will remain a one belt organization. Sadly Dan Henderson(who was the Pride Middle and Light Heavyweight Champ at the same time, first in its history) came in and lost both of his belts, the Light Heavyweight to Rampage Jackson and the Middleweight to Anderson Silva. But it was still nice they unified immediately. of course I do miss the PRIDE vs UFC days.

because UFC tried to match whatever PRIDE did that was considered spectacular, like entrances. UFC entrances nowadays are all basically the same the fighters come out and fight. But when the UFC was going up against Pride they made their entrances like something out of Naseem Hamed's book. Here, I'll show you one of Tito Ortiz's entrances, and mind he used to ALWAYS come out like this prior to the UFC getting Pride.

YouTube - Tito Ortiz Entrance

PRIDES entrances would even more spectacular.

since UFC brought Pride i haven't seen any entrances like this. I miss those days lol. That was back at UFC 32.

now contrast that to the way Tito enters now, post UFC buying the UFC

YouTube - Tito Ortiz Mosh Entrance

night and day imo

[DaxxKahn]

Hope that made sense by the way...

But seriously, my question is Why a sanctioning body has never really tried to approach the TV networks in this way


Alternatively, HBO could create their own belt then that would be that

I have thought this my self a few times.

I think its only a matter of time before another big MMA company is formed to rivel the UFC then they will have the same problems as boxing.

The WEC is on their tails and with some extra talent or promotion they could be stiff comp for the UFC...

[holmcall]

I watched Shamrock and this guy Kung Lee go at it in San Jose a while back, and I have to admit. it was damm interesting. Lee was like Bruce Lee for God's sakes and Shamrock, who almost pulled it out, was brutally stopped. Man that was a savage and bloody sanctioned street fight and I liked it. Now I say to myself if I liked it (and I have been a degenerate boxing fan for 60 years), what does that mean for a young guy who has a minimal boxing framework?

If I were to make a guess, MMA has a good run in front of it before it is met with the same sleezy underbelly of boxing. MMA-UFC should learn from boxing''s mistakes and past scandals.

Hell, I am actually looking forward to Carano vs. Cyborg. I dig Carano! She is hot.

[KananKrus]

Guys, if you liked the way Cung Le, an Asian American of Vietnamese decent fought, you too would have liked Alex Gong, another Asian American of Muay Thai fightiing background.

It is too bad that his life was cut short tragically, much like ala Vernon Forrest, he ran after a vandal doing a job on his car in a back parking lot.

Check him out, this guy is relentless in his style, and he shares the same sense of invincibility in Muay Thai, as to Cung Le in WuShu.

****

Speaking of WEC World Extreme Cage Fightiing...
Uriah Faber and Mike Brown, as mentioned by Bilbo, have fought twice for a title fight under the WEC banner.

[KananKrus]

Oftentimes it is the grappling and the long and enduring submissions techniques in an MMA fight that boxing afficionados like myself will find much to be unexciting. To add.. the neck-locks or submission techniques involving the neck, I find riveting. I refuse to bear witness to an accidental death in the ring. Accidental deaths in boxing carries a truer meaning to it than an accidental death in an MMA contest.

It has happened before, in an Octagon PPV match in the early 90's, which led to a temporary halt to the sport. The brutal sport soonafter was revived but now re-packaged, and likewise re introduced with the logical , weight classifications and set of rules in place to avert these accidental ring deaths.

They somehow put some logic on the restraints to lessen the savagery on display in an MMA fight.

If you like a high display of skill in fighting without the boring grappling and the cringe-inspiring death embraces, then K-1 (especially the heavies) or Muay Thai would be good alternatives to boxing, where striking is guaranteed, be it fistic or with kicks, the aspect in the fighting sport I do enjoy watching.

....and I don't have to worry about heads coming loose off their sockets!

[holmcall]

I really enjoy Muay Thai. Got to watch a lot of bouts while doing some R & R in Thailand.

[generalbulldog]

Oftentimes it is the grappling and the long and enduring submissions techniques in an MMA fight that boxing afficionados like myself will find much to be unexciting. To add.. the neck-locks or submission techniques involving the neck, I find riveting. I refuse to bear witness to an accidental death in the ring. Accidental deaths in boxing carries a truer meaning to it than an accidental death in an MMA contest.

It has happened before, in an Octagon PPV match in the early 90's, which led to a temporary halt to the sport. The brutal sport soonafter was revived but now re-packaged, and likewise re introduced with the logical , weight classifications and set of rules in place to avert these accidental ring deaths.

They somehow put some logic on the restraints to lessen the savagery on display in an MMA fight.

If you like a high display of skill in fighting without the boring grappling and the cringe-inspiring death embraces, then K-1 (especially the heavies) or Muay Thai would be good alternatives to boxing, where striking is guaranteed, be it fistic or with kicks, the aspect in the fighting sport I do enjoy watching.

....and I don't have to worry about heads coming loose off their sockets!

I think you summed it up pretty well, because there are a lot boxing fans out there that do not find the ground game appealing in MMA. I do enjoy Muay Thai kickboxing because of the strikes as do K1, but I don't think I can ever really be interested of MMA because of the grappling. It's just not aesthetically appealing.

[awdleyfuturehalloffamer]

i just watched the shamrock cung lee matchup and thought shamrock was going to knock cung lee out, then all of a sudden lee connects with a kick to the head with 10 seconds left in the round and shamrock couldn't recover in between rounds. Very technical fight but not to bad exciting wise.