Why Mainstream Fans Will Eventually Warm Up to MMA

MMA just started on the path to becoming mainstream when it was broadcast on FOX earlier this month.

As much as fans have considered MMA's growth up until now something that has crossed over into the everyday and into the life of the casual sports fan, it isn't true.

The fact that MMA has faced adversity in Germany and is still illegal in New York proves that MMA hasn't even come close to reaching the masses.  Until the heavyweight title can be fought for in Madison Square Garden, MMA hasn't reached its zenith.

It doesn't help when you look back to how MMA and the UFC started.  For most people, the UFC is MMA and many still remember seeing UFC 1 and the no-rules fights it allowed to happen.

With that said, there have been fewer critics and negative attacks on MMA in the last few years.  It's mostly been about introducing MMA not only on a global level, but in a way that introduces casual fans to the sport.

Many MMA fans right now fall into the 18-34 male demographic.  Even the casual fans of MMA are mostly comprised of this core group.

When fights start getting watched at home by families on Saturday night and becoming bonding experiences between father and son, then MMA will have become mainstream.

And it will happen.

The fact is that at one point boxing was one of the biggest sports in the USA.  It was something that was on network TV and routinely made headlines.

Part of the reason was simple.  Fans knew who the best in the world was and they could pick their favorite fighters to cheer.  They also got to see these fighters compete on free TV plenty of times.

Unfortunately, boxing promoters became greedy and ruined this by putting most of the important matches on pay-per-view and premium cable.

This has left a void that no other sport can fill.  The ability to watch two men locked in battle and seeing which one can beat the other in a mix of intelligence, skill, and pure brawn is something that is primordial.  It has been something that has been around since the dawn of time.

Before team sports, before balls and bats were made, humans competed against each other.  They fought to the death, they fought to train each other in combat, they even fought for food and resources. It is something that still lingers in our DNA.

That is why boxing was so popular decades ago.  It spoke to an innate desire to know who the best is and to see an undisputed champion.  MMA is bringing that same idea back.

It still has to fight off misconceptions and detractors, but judging by the UFC's TV schedule, and the fact that there will be quite a few international events within the first few months of 2012, it won't be long until that happens.