Sports Q&A: Boxing Submits to UFC

Kitana from Edenia, IL asks, "How do you explain the booming popularity of mixed martial arts combat sports, and do you think the popularity of boxing is in jeopardy because of it?"

Do you remember when Mortal Kombat arrived on the scene and blew Mike Tyson's Punch-Out right out of the water? We didn't know it at the time, but this was the turning point for mixed martial arts, and the beginning of the decline of professional boxing.

Argue all you want, but from that point, combat sports, like the Ultimate Fighting Championship, have been gaining popularity and stealing fans from boxing in large numbers. And, unlike Mortal Kombat, there have been no fatalities in UFC. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if more people viewed some sleazebag beating up a homeless person on BumFights.com than shelled out the $54.95 (about 590 pesos) to watch Floyd Mayweather's and Oscar De La Hoya's Dancing With the Stars pay-per-view special.

Just like the few remaining fans of boxing, most mixed martial arts fans want to see a devastating knockout or a toe-to-toe slugfest. If someone tells you they watch boxing because of the technical skill involved, then they are obviously being paid off, which, in all likelihood, also means they are a boxing judge.

Don't get me wrong. Reality fighting would be nowhere without boxing. It's derivative of boxing. After all, boxing started as bare knuckle bouts. Where would UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer be without his half-brother Michael Buffer? Probably doing intros for paintball tournaments.

Without historic boxing calls like Howard Cosell's "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" would we be treated to such Joe Rogan calls like "Matt Hughes just choked out Georges St. Pierre!" No. Rogan would be commenting on how some contestant choked on a chicken liver in some Fear Factor spinoff.

Without George Foreman selling grills worldwide, would Tito Ortiz be dating Jenna Jameson (favorite position: the rear naked), or would Chuck Liddell be appearing on Entourage? Doubtfully. Had Mike Tyson not bitten off half of Evander Holyfield's ear, would any boxing fan in his or her right mind claim that the UFC-type matches are barbaric? No. The UFC has taken what's wrong with boxing and made their product more appealing, and more accessible, than boxing.

So, what's so great about the UFC? Well, it's a combination of disciplines. There's the takedowns of amateur wrestling, the submissions of professional wrestling, only real (although I really believe that the Figure Four could be a useful leg hold in the UFC), the immediacy of a bar brawl, and the strategy of a chess match. Okay, maybe it's not that cerebral, so let's say the strategy of checkers.

The final product pits two fighters who must be ready not only to attack in a number of ways, but defend against a number of assaults. Anybody can circle to their left to steer clear of a boxer's stiff left jab, but not any boxer can do that while simultaneously preparing for a takedown. UFC fighters can.

Defenders of boxing may claim that too much of UFC matches take place on the mat. That point is arguable, but so what if the action is on the mat. Referees break up clenches in boxing, but in UFC, the clench often leads to an exciting part of the match, submissions. Can you imagine what someone like Tyson would do on his back? Don't answer that. Whatever he did, I'm sure it would be illegal.

Isn't it cool that the UFC fights in an octagon-shaped cage? There's no escape for a fighter, and this also keeps a fighter's team out of the ring at crucial times. Isn't it irritating in boxing when a fight goes haywire and everyone storms the ring, including cornermen, cutmen, handlers, and members of the Nation of Islam? This doesn't happen in UFC, because any clown that wants to get inside can't just slip through the ropes. Besides, most UFC athletes don't have a posse and/or hangers-on, like a lot of boxers.

Another thing that makes the UFC popular is its accessibility. It's regularly on Spike TV, and, most importantly, it's pay-per-views are affordable. Some major cards are shown on Spike, as well as replays of some pay-per-view contests. Can you watch boxing without paying for it? Occasionally on ESPN, but it's a meaningless bout, usually for a belt that's actually used to hold pants up.

If you're old enough to remember, you'll recall a time when boxing was seen on NBC, CBS, and ABC, almost on a weekly basis. And these bouts were major, often for the right to hold a belt from one or more of the big three associations (WBA, WBC, IBF). I'm not even sure these governing bodies still govern the sport. UFC will probably never be on network television, so if boxing wants to counter the sport of ultimate fighting, then this is where they should start. But that will never happen as long as greedy, short-sighted people like Don King and Bob Arum are running the sport.

So what can boxing do to fight it's dwindling popularity? Well, for one thing, there are more rounds in boxing matches, so boxing has a decided advantage in the number of ring girls it can showcase. Promote them, while ridding the sport of the shady and dishonest characters that have left boxing with its bad reputation. If they need a motto to start circulating the message, here it is: "Boxing: More Girls, Less Crooks."

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