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

[VictorCharlie]

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!

Please cite a source for a death in a UFC PPV b/c I am pretty sure that never happened. I am aware of only one death ever in a sanctioned MMA fight and one in an unsanctioned fight done in Russia. I've seen stats list 70 deaths from sanctioned boxing matches since 1998 compared to 1 in MMA. So assuming my information is correct your disdain for "savagery" sounds more like ignorance of the tremendous talent and athleticism of the top mixed martial artists of the world.

[VictorCharlie]

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.

Cung Le broke Shamrock's arm with a kick. That was why he didn't continue

[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.

Cung Le broke Shamrock's arm with a kick. That was why he didn't continue

Shamrock was dominating at the end until that kick landed to his head. Then he stopped and fell back into the fence. It didn't connect to his arm from what i could tell. It looked like a head shot. I can't see shamrock dominating for 30 seconds with a broken arm.

[VictorCharlie]

Watch it again. Frank blocked most of the kick with his wrist/forearm and broke it thus he couldn't continue

[Hulk]

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...

I believe the UFC actually owns the WEC.

Sorry brother.
lol

[CGM]

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.

There is no way in hell. For starters who would you have to run the show? Don King? Bob Arum? And then you have to tell all the boxers that they have to take orders from this guy. I appreciate your desire to have a unified structure to boxing, we all want that, but the UFC model is not the way to go. I'd rather have it the way it is now.

[VictorCharlie]

The easiest way to get this is simple. Have a federal boxing commission that is superior to all state boards and that only recognizes one belt and only allows sanctioning fees to be collected for that one belt. So yes outside of the US you could fight for a different "world championship", but lets be honest if tomorrow the only sanctioning group that could fight in Vegas was for arguments sake the IBF then all the other would quickly fall off the map.