Title Bout: Boxing Vs. MMA

[BABY1]

TweetThe age-old battle between a beloved, savvy veteran and the ****y, young newcomer has spilled into the combat sports arena, as boxing and mixed martial arts are fighting for attention and pay-per-view dollars.

Though a line has been drawn in the sand and fans are flocking to either side to make their allegiances known, the truth is that there is room for both sports to flourish and earn the positive mainstream attention they desperately crave.

If they ever put aside their pissing contest, they could even learn a thing or two from one another.

Let’s take a closer look at this boxing vs. MMA battle.

A message for both boxing and MMA

Want to increase your mainstream appeal?

Here’s an idea: Improve the judging and scoring of fights.

From Paulie Malignaggi getting robbed in Texas to Gray Maynard earning a pair of 30-27s when one judge scored the fight 29-28 for Roger Huerta, poor judging is a shared commodity in the combat sports world. Whether the sketchy results come in a ring or a cage, they do nothing but raise questions about the legitimacy of the sports and the organizations putting on the events.

While there are undoubtedly going to be fights of both styles that could go either way, debatable decisions like Forrest Griffin’s win over “Rampage” Jackson are a lot different than Evander Holyfield beating Nikolai Valuev on every scorecard except the three that mattered most.

The last thing either sport needs is fans thinking a fight was fixed. Better judging can all but eliminate that concern for boxing and MMA alike.

Boxing’s bloated records

What’s with all the tomato cans?

A boxer’s record doesn’t need to be as bloated as a frat boy’s belly after all-you-can-drink Thursdays at the local dive. While boxing prospects get upward of 20 handpicked opponents to bolster their stats, MMA up-and-comers are often thrown to the wolves and emerge better for it. You learn from experience, not from beating the tar out of weaker competition over and over.

Losing isn’t the end of the world either. If an MMA fighter fell into oblivion following a loss the way emerging boxing stars often do, guys like Georges St-Pierre, Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar wouldn’t have become the stars they are today.

This past August saw four major MMA events take place, despite the cancellation of the Affliction: Trilogy show at the last minute.

Alternately, boxing fans get just three or four big-name bouts a year, separated by months not weeks. Fighters take the ring twice a year if you’re lucky.

It’s awfully hard to get excited about following your favorite fighter when you can only watch him once a year.

And don’t even get me started on the 47 different weight classes and alphabet soup of organizations that litter the landscape with more letters and titles than the library has books.

MMA: Widen the target

Boxing became a fixture in the fabric of sporting life because fathers shared the sport with their sons; they watched their favorite fighters, taught them about the history of the sport and the pattern repeated itself for generations.

MMA is aimed at 18- to 35-year-old males; tough to share stories of epic battles between generations when there aren’t two generations in the audience to begin with.

While some will argue that the blood and violence is not suitable for a younger set or appealing to grown-ups and families, the dedication and respect these fighters show for their craft and each other is appealing to everyone.

Instead of UFC President Dana White garnering great amounts of media attention, he should showcase the fighters, many of whom make far better role models than some of the questionable characters making millions in other sporting arenas.

Lastly, MMA needs to wait. It’s only been five years since Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter took the sport from the underground to your living room and now the cusp of the mainstream. As the sport continues to grow, so too will the coverage.

[tn94z]

TweetI agree with the judging portion. They really need to come up with a better way to judge the MMA fights.

The generational thing is actually much better. There are kids now taking part in MMA at the ages of 7 or 8 which some feel is way too early, but I feel is a great tool for kids growing up as long as it is taught in the correct way. This started a while back for the kids that actually grew up as a karate student, or BJJ student, etc....learning from his parents and then the UFC hit the mainstream and the family can discuss the fights on a technical level. I believe that the kids that have grown up around martial arts and have the respect and understanding that martial arts has taught them, shouldn't have an issue with watching the UFC. Much of this is evident with all of your up and comers being so young.