Randy Couture attempting to lure Hatton into MMA?

[Kev]

Boxing has had literally hundreds of years to progress though, MMA hasn't and is as a result not as polished as boxing IMO.

Yes I definitely agree with you there. MMA is probably at the stage boxing was in the Joe Luis era. It will progress more quickly, thanks to the developments in fitness training, nutrition and phsyiological understanding in the modern era, and the fact that there is already a growing fanbase and big potential revenues, but right now there isn't as much strength in depth.

The top guys are formidable athletes though.

I forsee a time in the future where a top UFC fighter will have roughly equal status within the public consciousness as the top boxers.

Maybe another 5 years if it keeps progressing at the current rate.

Personally over the last 12 months I think MMA has reached somewhere near its limit. I might be wrong but it's biggest PPV was a couple of years ago and when they went head to head with Floyd-Marquez Boxing prevailed 3 times over apparently.

If the HW division in boxing was to have a throwback to the 70's or even the 90's now then I think boxing would cause serious dents in MMA. I don't mind MMA and watch most UFC cards (haven't missed one this year) but I think boxing will always be ahead in PPV figures as long as its top boxers vs UFC cards.

For MMA to really break out I think it has to be more than just the UFC promoting it.

Showtime with Strikeforce are doing a great job of bringing it the wider public. Right now it's still mainly an American white sport in terms of market but I guess it must be big in Japan thanks to Pride, it's growing rapidly here in the UK too, and I imagine in South America and Canada it will be growing also.

It's not a global sport yet though and probably needs to expand into Europe and even Asia more, which I think it will in time.

But I think when it gets really big, the UFC itself will probably collapse as an organisation.

No single company can have a hegemony on an entire sport.