What MMA Has and What Boxing Is Lacking

It is unavoidable these days when talking about Mixed Martial Arts.

Someone, usually a person over the age of 35, brings up that MMA is a brutish sport and not nearly as classy as the "Sweet Science" that is boxing.

This past week was no different since UFC 103 went up against one of boxing's biggest stars in Floyd "Money" Mayweather this past weekend. With it coming as no surprise to me that the lackluster UFC fell roughly 600,000 buys short of Mayweather's return to the ring.

Before I get too far into this article I want to give you full disclosure. I am neither a “hardcore” boxing nor MMA fan. I'm simply a fan of both sports and love to watch a good fight no matter the affiliation. So please no attacks in the comment boards that I am biased to either side because I'm not.

However, this article isn't about who won or lost this past weekend. It is about why MMA seems to be gaining face so quickly and boxing seems to be losing fans or at the very least has stalled.

For me there are two real reasons this has happened. 

First and foremost there are way too many sanctioned bodies in boxing and way too many titles out there. 

We have the World Boxing Association (W.B.A.), World Boxing Council (W.B.C.), International Boxing Federation (I.B.F.), World Boxing Organization (W.B.O.), and the International Boxing Organization (I.B.O.).

Each body in their own right having prestige to their own belts, but it becomes quite confusing to the average spectator to get into. You hear one fighter is the Heavyweight Champ and you think, ok he's the guy, then you hear about another Heavyweight Champ and then you're just confused.

In Boxing's golden age this wasn't they case. When you heard Muhammad Ali was the champ, there was no question who was the champ.

Now we hear about the W.B.A. champ and the W.B.C. champ and we're left to wonder who really is the champ?

Now MMA has several organizations, but to the mainstream American public there is really only the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Yes hardcore MMA fans, I know about Affliction, Pride, Strike Force, and the others around the globe, but for the U.S. market add them all up and they still don't equal the UFC in terms of dollars and mainstream presence.

So when your average Joe hears that Brock Lesnar is the Heavyweight Champion he doesn't question it, because to the mainstream there is only the UFC. And since the mainstream only recognizes the UFC it is easier for them to follow.

The second reason why MMA is gaining fans so quickly is Spike TV. "The Ultimate Fighter," "UFC Fight Night," and the fact that Spike will replay the PPVs and air some of the Greatest ever UFCs allow the casual and new fan a chance to catch up.

Boxing doesn't have this. ESPN Classic is the closest by airing old Ali and Joe Frasier fights, but really those mean nothing to today's casual fight fan. 

Those fighters on ESPN Classic don't fight anymore, where a lot of the fighters on the classic bouts we see on Spike are still in the octagon.

Also, I could be wrong, but outside of HBO and Showtime (both premium channels), is there a weekly boxing program? ESPN and USA Network used to have a Friday and Saturday night fights, but don't anymore.

I'm sure local Fox Sports Networks carry boxing once a week, but again that isn't the same as Spike's national exposure for UFC and MMA.

My third point is that there is an extreme lack of heavyweight superstars in boxing.  Gone are the days of Ali, Frasier, and George Foreman, as well as Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Lennox Lewis (and Foreman again).

This sport was born on the backs of heavyweights and for it to flourish again, it needs to have a few superstars who will go toe to toe with each other.

On the flip side, with the dominance of Brock Lesnar and the YouTube popularity of Kimbo Slice, MMA's Heavyweight Division seems to be on the rise.

Lastly, it seems the consensus of the boxing world is that the top fighters don't want to fight each other in fear of losing. 

Outside of Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao, which many think will never actually happen, I can't think of any future "Super Fights." This really hurts boxing. 

I mean it is great to see top-flight guys knock the crap out of guys who aren't quite in their class, but come on, we want to see what would happen when the best takes on the best.

It appears that within MMA as a sport, each guy wants to climb the latter and fight the guy who is perceived as the best. Heck you even have guys jumping ship to other organizations to make these fights happen.

I don't know whether they have more pride, but it seems MMA fighters not only want to be known as the best but most want to prove it by taking on all comers.

A guy like Anderson Silva, who is probably pound for pound the best fighter in MMA, won't back down from any challenge, and I'd bet you'd be hard pressed not to find a handful of guys in the UFC locker room who would love to have a chance to knock him out.

So there you have it loyal reader, my evidence as to why MMA is encroaching on boxing. Am I saying that MMA is better or has more fans? No, one is subjective and the other could one day be true, but boxing is still top dog when it comes to fans.

So what am I saying? It's simple right now, in 2009, MMA (especially the UFC) puts out a better product than boxing, and stated above are my reasons for thinking this. I welcome your opinions on this too. 

Let me know which sport you prefer and why in the comments. And like refs in both sports will tell you, "keep it clean."