UFC: How DeMarco Murray and the 2011 NFL Draft May Shift the Sports World

When one thinks of DeMarco Murray there are several things that come to mind: the 2011 NFL Draft, the various records he has set at the University of Oklahoma and his possible future as one of the all-time great running backs in the NFL.

These are all valid thoughts, but there is one seemingly unimportant issue involving Murray that may have implications on the greater sports world, and that is his possible appearance on the cover of the newest edition of EA Sports' NCAA Football.

Absurd? Think again.

Murray has promised that if he wins the vote EA Sports is running to determine who should be on the game's cover, he will wear a UFC logo on draft day.

Many traditional sports fans will likely scoff at this as completely meaningless. This only shows their biased, short-sighted mindset. The display of the UFC logo will be the first time the organization has broken into the NFL. The league will likely not take kindly to Murray wearing the logo of a competing sports organization, and conflict will likely ensue.

The saying, "any publicity is good publicity" is applicable here.

The UFC will gain a tremendous amount of exposure across the sports world if an athlete of Murray's caliber displays their logo at one of the foremost events in football and American sports.

Aside garnering attention from the UFC brand, this (albeit hypothetical) incident would catapult the UFC to the next level of fame and recognition. No longer would MMA (Mixed Martial Arts for you ball-sports fans who haven't been keeping up with the times) be considered a second-rate sport.

Could it be that any appearance of controversy over a UFC logo at the draft would signal the start of a competition between the NFL and the UFC? MMA is the fastest-growing sport in the world, and football is the most popular sport in the United States.

Could the UFC manage to topple the NFL? Needless to say if the UFC had a chance at winning, victory would not come until after a long, protracted struggle that likely would last generations.

However, much of this is still up in the air, and one NFL team is still worth more than the entire UFC.

Nevertheless, this does not mean this will always be the truth. After all, the NFL was once an upcoming organization that had to fight its way through a more established sport that dominated society. What is to say that the UFC can't do the same thing and that the appearance of their logo at the draft can't light the fuse of their rocket to dominance?

To vote for DeMarco and play your part: click here.

And to learn more about the back story between DeMarco and the UFC: click here.