Arlovski Signs with Golden Boy

Honestly, I don't think this will work out well for them. They're probably thinking, "All those MMA fans are gonna tune in to see how Andrei does in boxing. It'll be a smash!" Then they high-five and rub each other's nuts.

The reality is few MMA fans give a crap about boxing or Arlovski. When you combine the two, you end up with three guys from Chicago who will go out of their way to watch him be a boxer.

For some reason, Golden Boy can't get it out of their mind that the vast majority of MMA fans were never boxing fans. Most of us grew up watching stuff like Bloodsport, Best of the Best, and Pro Wrestling. We weren't sitting around the lunch table in eighth grade arguing about whether Ike Quartey was better than James McGirt.

The other thing they keep missing is how young the MMA audience is compared to other sports. There really isn't an older segment of any significance. If you mentioned MMA to a hundred random 65-year-olds, 80% will think you're asking them about health care and the other 20% will stare blankly.

MMA's younger audience never attached itself to boxing because most of them never had a chance. They took to MMA and did not have room for another combat sport, especially with the advent of the UFC on Spike. When you also factor in all the awesome fights available online, fans reach a saturation point.

The last thing they need or want is another combat sport, which isn't marketed as well and has all sorts of problems. In my opinion, MMA grew out of the infected ashes of boxing. Without boxing as a contrast, you'd never have MMA as it is today.

I do think Arlovski's glass jaw will hold up a lot better with the pillows that boxers wear on their fists, though.