Whilst I'd hardly consider myself a fan I do download the odd event or two to watch.

I watched the entire PPV broadcast of Pride's American debut a couple months back and as an event it was highly entertaining.

Some of the fights were over far too quickly and I got a little uncomfortable when a couple of the men assumed 69 position's on the floor and carried out what appeared to my untrained eyes to be sex acts on one another but the whole razzmataz if thats a word was definitely there.

There was this crazy ass woman fight announcer who I could only describe as having a videogame type voice, just amazing the sounds she managed to produce and loads of strobe lighting and effects.

The fights, even though I hadn't barely heard of any of them were still easy to get involved with thanks to brief pre fight interviews with the two protaganists, in which invariably one of them would come across as a complete and utter prick so I'd be rooting for the other guy to kick his face in.

And I have to say there is something rather satisfying about a sport that allows a fighter to literally do that! I saw people get knocked out by flying knees to the face, by having their ankles snapped, or being elbowed on the nose whilst being pinned down on the floor unable to move, its the kind of brutality you sometimes wish you could inject in a boxing fight.

Who wouldn't have liked to have seen Kosta Tyszu lay a prostrate Zab Judah on the ground, then sit astride his chest and headbutt him repeatedly on his nose until his face was a bloody mess?

Overall whilst I don't think it compares to boxing as a serious sport I would have to say that it can be very entertaining to watch at times and I would consider going to an event if they ever staged one near me.

To me its kind of like the difference between Formula One racing and Nascar. Whilst purists, journalists and serious race fans would not even consider Nascar to be a serious sport like Formula One, a huge swathe of hicks, rednecks and children watch it avidly to see the crashes.

Overall I would say it complements boxing rather than competes against it. Fight fans have more than one related sport to get excited about which is hardly a bad thing.