MMA needs more coverage on ESPN.

[SportsChick]

I think it really comes down to your generation, man. I would have to say the exact inverse for mine.

Not saying your that much older than me, but it is fairly huge in college age viewer-ship.

We're not exactly old. Brian's 32, I'm 30. Give me hockey every day of the week and twice on Sunday's over MMA

[jtex316]

The entire Kimbo Slice debacle proved that MMA was purely sports-entertainment, despite actual fighting. I have a whole rant here from about a year ago or so about how the MMA sucks and is not entertaining.

Problems with MMA:

1. The commissioner is exactly what Dave described. It's not "cool" to be a jock when you're in charge.
2. It's not entertaining - it's not entertaining to watch two dudes roman-grecko grapple and wrestle on a mat with a couple of punches and kicks thrown in. The WWE already has the sports-entertainment thing locked down.
3. It lacks major sponsorship (probably due to #'s 1 and 2). Even the WWE gets major sponsors.
4. It's too "hardcore" and is nowhere near mainstream enough to warrant news coverage.
5. Grand Theft Auto was one of the highest video game sellers, ever. Did it get it's own SportsCenter segment?
6. Finally, the entire Kimbo Slice debacle forever ruined what little chance the MMA had to begin with. A no-talent bum hack jabrone off the streets is touted as the Lebron James of his "sport", only to be destroyed in 1 minute by another no-talent bum hack jabrone off the streets. I can't just show up and beat Kobe Bryant, or hit a homerun off of Roger Clemens off the streets. The entire MMA set itself up for a big crash after backing this no-talent hack and riding the little wave of popularity that it brought along. And, I don't know the difference between MMA, CBS, UFC...they are all the same to me and 99% of everyone else.

[BingeBag]

We're not exactly old. Brian's 32, I'm 30. Give me hockey every day of the week and twice on Sunday's over MMA

I wasn't saying you two are old at all. I'm 20. My point was that people born in the late 80's-early 90's are going to have different watching habits than late 70's- early 80's. I consider it different generations for sure.

MMA is huge with people my age. You can point to that its a violent sport so a younger audience will be attracted. But I would much rather point to the fact that it's a newer sport. I can remember when Hockey was relevant but I didn't have a ton of years to get attached to it. Mario Lemieux feels like a fading childhood memory.

[Dave Gray]

The Kimbo Slice thing goes against your argument.  He lost to a more veteran opponent.  And in his first fight, they paired him up with a jabrone.  First off, that wasn't even UFC.  I would be like trying to judge football by the "he hate me" bit in the XFL.  Kimbo is a good fighter, though.  He will have to learn more about the ground game or else he's going to get rocked in the UFC.


I think it's definitely entertaining.  It's much more entertaining than most other sports, that's for sure.  I think it's just a matter of time before it gets more coverage. 

[bsfins]

Scary I think Jtex hit it on the head...

I think it's a Niche,major sports are trying to take more safety precautions,making it more appealing,less violent....

Why didn't kick boxing explode here? It's had plenty of time....I think it appeals to fans of wrestling...I think as with wrestling,your audience as they get older get less interested....How many of use were wrestling fans as kids,but aren't anymore?

I also think a massive killer,I know Versus,and Showtime have MMA things....But alot of it is Pay per view....

[Dave Gray]

I think it's a Niche,major sports are trying to take more safety precautions,making it more appealing,less violent....

This perception is factually incorrect.  The UFC has done more in the past decade to make their sport safer and more appealing than all major sports combined.  They added many rules, instituted different time limits to encourage action, added in no-contents, gave gloves to fighters to protect hands, disallowed things like kicks to the head on the ground, etc.

Wrestling is not a sport.  It's fake.  Compare this to boxing, if anything.  This is boxing, but you can use your feet and grab.  ...it's safer than boxing, in my opinion.  You don't have long term bludgeoning.  As soon as someone starts getting whipped, the fight is over.  In boxing, they prop you up and you keep going.

[bsfins]

Society,is pussing out,and trending to less violence....MMA is nothing but violence....is the point I was making...

[Dave Gray]

I gotcha.

But I would also disagree on that point as well.  I think that society is actually trending towards violence.

[Brian Fein]

MMA in 5 years will be where X Games is now.  It is the same thing

[Dave Gray]

^^ No chance.

[Brian Fein]

OK, 10 years?

[Tepop84]

[Dave Gray]

I'll probably start posting MMA threads here and see if there is interest.  I don't know enough about a lot of the fighters yet to talk about it intelligently. 

I'll check out your links.

[BigDaddyFin]

^^^ I think that's the problem with MMA in general.  They don't get a whole lot of exposure so nobody knows much about anybody not named Kimbo Slice or Chuck LaDell. 

[bsmooth]

The entire Kimbo Slice debacle proved that MMA was purely sports-entertainment, despite actual fighting. I have a whole rant here from about a year ago or so about how the MMA sucks and is not entertaining.

Problems with MMA:

1. The commissioner is exactly what Dave described. It's not "cool" to be a jock when you're in charge.
2. It's not entertaining - it's not entertaining to watch two dudes roman-grecko grapple and wrestle on a mat with a couple of punches and kicks thrown in. The WWE already has the sports-entertainment thing locked down.
3. It lacks major sponsorship (probably due to #'s 1 and 2). Even the WWE gets major sponsors.
4. It's too "hardcore" and is nowhere near mainstream enough to warrant news coverage.
5. Grand Theft Auto was one of the highest video game sellers, ever. Did it get it's own SportsCenter segment?
6. Finally, the entire Kimbo Slice debacle forever ruined what little chance the MMA had to begin with. A no-talent bum hack jabrone off the streets is touted as the Lebron James of his "sport", only to be destroyed in 1 minute by another no-talent bum hack jabrone off the streets. I can't just show up and beat Kobe Bryant, or hit a homerun off of Roger Clemens off the streets. The entire MMA set itself up for a big crash after backing this no-talent hack and riding the little wave of popularity that it brought along. And, I don't know the difference between MMA, CBS, UFC...they are all the same to me and 99% of everyone else.

Kimbo was and continues to be a joke. CBS's wanna be fight thing brought him in because of all the idiots who watched his brawls against untrained fighters and thought he would kick ass. He is lacking all skills and is too old to achieve a level of expertise that would allow him to seriously contend.
What is truly sad is that this so called "niche" sport has the toughest standards on performance enhancing drugs. They have suspended and taken away titles from those who have been caught cheating. MLB could take a lesson from them.
I does not surprise me that you would rant about something you know little about, and compare it to something totally unrelated.