UFC on Fox: Free MMA Will Be Incredible Publicity for Growing Phenomenon

There can be nothing better in this world than free UFC, especially after all of these years of having to pay to see some of the biggest fights.

Truth be told, I'm as excited as a little kid on a swing-set. Or, a little kid playing with blocks, or whatever made you happy back in the day.

All of the drama, hard-hitting action and intense physical nature of MMA is officially coming to the mainstream public, and there could be nothing better for fans of the sport.

In fact, this is probably the best thing the UFC could ever do for its sport.

Gone are the days of mixed martial arts being a "fringy" sport that people saw more as a violent past-time than a sport.

With this primer fight on FOX, the UFC will be officially breaking into the mainstream, and according to Billy Witz of FoxSports.com, president Dana White knows his sport has gone big-time:

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That such a day has arrived, with Velasquez-Dos Santos kicking off a seven-year, $700 million deal with FOX—an investment that suggests UFC and boxing might be seen by some as contemporaries—was hard to imagine a decade ago. Not just for sponsors, network executives, fans and media, but even by White.

It was then that Sen. John McCain famously referred to mixed martial arts as human cockfighting and that the sport was banned from television, even pay-per-view.

“Porn was allowed on pay-per-view,” White said. “We were not.”

As for sponsors?

“We’ve gone from Condom Depot to blue-chip sponsors,” White said.

The deal with FOX does not start until January, but the network approached White to see about putting on a prime-time bout earlier, one which he described as a trial run. FOX will broadcast four fights a year with six fights live on FX. The reality show “Ultimate Fighter,” which proved wildly popular on Spike, also moves over to the FOX family of networks.

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With the move to FOX, the UFC will be giving their fans something that they haven't had in a very long time—and that's prime-time mixed martial arts.

The matchup couldn't be any better, with the heavyweight title on the line between Cain Velasquez and Javier dos Santos

That's a full-out heavyweight title bout, for free.

This is undoubtedly great news for fans who have paid some big bucks for the biggest fights the sport has to offer, and it's a huge stage that just may attract new fans.

In fact, I would be surprised if the already wildly popular sport doesn't take off after this fight.