MMA vs Boxing Popularity - Unknowable Mystery?

[wwkirk]

Most Sherdoggers love to claim that MMA has become more popular than Boxing. Loads of Boxing fans similarly claim that Boxing is more popular, and they use the pay in the latter as partial evidence. Is this the best we can do, opinions?

You telling me than nobody knows whether Honda is more popular or less popular than Ford?
You telling me that nobody knows whether American Football is more popular or less popular than Global Futball?
You telling me that nobody knows whether the McChicken Sandwich is more popular or less popular than the Whopper?

Somebody has gotta know which is more popular in the 2020s, MMA or Boxing?

Where the hell are the facts? Where is the certified, reliable data about this matter? I mean the data media companies, advertisers, etc. use to make objective business decisions. - It has to exist! It just has to. So where is it dammit?!

Seriously, though, what are the facts? How can it be established which of the two sports is more popular at present? No problem if it is necessary to break up the data by region or whatever. There should be some way to know for sure.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

You cannot even define "popularity" in this context.

But even if you could, we probably still couldn't answer the question definitively.

Anyway. Here's a link that will give you more insight, and at the same time make the answer even further away. https://www.tapology.com/search/mma-event-figures/ppv-pay-per-view-buys-buyrate. Enjoy.

 

[jitzmonkey]

Boxing is more mainstream due to its age; and comparative lack of complexity.

Add the fact that it superficially appears to be the safer sport with significantly less in competition blood spattering or physical injuries, and it will probably always have a much larger general (even if less ardent) fanbase.

 

[Sweater of AV]

Boxing easily. Hell, Dana doesn't even watch his own events anymore.

 

[Greg House]

The answer is pretty obvious. Look at the amount of followers in instagram and twitter of boxing champions and compare them to UFC champions

Look at the amount of people talking about each sport in reddit and compare them:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MMA/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/

Look at the most populated boxing forum and compare how many posts the main page get compared to this one
https://www.boxingscene.com/forums/boxing-forums/non-stop-boxing

Everytime somebody posts these numbers, boxing fans say that the mayority of boxing fans are old farts that don't know how to use social media and they are not on the internet.



Boxing only pays better because there is no promotion there like the UFC monopolizing the sport that keeps 85% of the profit. But MMA is way bigger.

 

[wwkirk]

You cannot even define "popularity" in this context.

But even if you could, we probably still couldn't answer the question definitively.

Anyway. Here's a link that will give you more insight, and at the same time make the answer even further away. https://www.tapology.com/search/mma-event-figures/ppv-pay-per-view-buys-buyrate. Enjoy.

If we were to go by this, there seem to be hardly any boxing PPVs compared to the UFC.

Maybe there are confidential, subscription only stats somewhere. Otherwise, how could ESPN, FOX, NBC etc. know how much to pay for a media contract? And how can advertisers know how much to pay?

 

[DarthChen731]

The only time anybody cares about boxing rn is when non-boxers box.

 

[theincognito]

It's not even debatable



Boxing has a big show here and there and pretty much no interest until the next big one months later. UFC has a much higher floor.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

Otherwise, how could ESPN, FOX, NBC etc. know how much to pay for a media contract? And how can advertisers know how much to pay?

In no uncertain terms, the marketers firmly believe that MMA is the better path toward the unicorn "18-35 male demographic".

I just kind of assumed you knew that already.

 

[Thy]

why do fans care what's more popular? are people such tools that they like something based on popularity or is it too hard for people to form their own thoughts and opinions on what they like without mass consensus based on social constructs?

 

[CedricBee]

Plenty of MMA fighters with 7 digit followings
https://www.sacnilk.com/news/List_Of_Most_Followed_UFC_on_Instagram
*Link recent https://www.sacnilk.com/news/List_Of_Most_Followed_UFC_on_Instagram

13 Boxers with 7 digit followings
https://www.geezersboxing.co.uk/news/post/boxers-social-media
*link almost 2 years old.

 

[Fisticuffa]

Another UFC fandom circlejerk

If your sport is so popular then why do all these UFC bums call out random Boxers for a Boxing bout looking for a payday

MMA is dead as a dodo in Japan compared to the Pride days while Boxing has Inoue, Nakatani, Teraji, & Ioka with Inoue leading the pack

Inoue floored Donaire with a right in the first round, and in the second destroyed him with a flurry of left hooks, with the referee calling the fight at the 1:24 mark. With the victory, Inoue became the first Japanese champion recognized by three of the world's four major sanctioning bodies for pro boxing -- the WBA, IBF and WBC.

Amazon's Prime Video streaming service broadcast the match live, attracting on the day the most views of all its programs -- including movies and drama -- and demonstrating that even a bantamweight bout can be a huge draw.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Sports/Japan-s-Naoya-Inoue-destroys-boxing-stereotypes

Sport couldn't even stay relevant in the 4th largest economy on the planet beyond a few years & here you have delusions that its bigger than Boxing



90,000+ in Wembley

Imagine the shock on your basement dwelling faces when you find out that Tim Tszyu is more known than Volkanovski & when Jai Opetaia will up Gosford stadium in Australia in the future just like Fury filled up Wembley

 

[Dana's Moonface]

Mma is more popular now, but it's miles behind what boxing used to be and will NEVER reach that level

 

[Fisticuffa]

Where exactly are MMA fighters in Japan fighting these days in comparison? Must be in parking lots

 

[Barteh]

It's not even debatable

View attachment 1010566

Boxing has a big show here and there and pretty much no interest until the next big one months later. UFC has a much higher floor.

Money is irrelevant. Americans getting scammed for 80 bucks a piece and spending 600 bucks on nosebleeds for watered down cards doesn't make the sport more popular. Boxing is way much more of a worldwide sport.

 

[chinarice]

Boxing is boring most of the time. Yeah you get the odd gatti/ward type of fight but they're few and far between.

Boxing was great when I was growing up. It's not nearly as fun to watch as it used to be

 

[Pingu]

Mma fans are way more insecure, that I know for sure .

 

[Bearknuckle]

Mma is just better. Boxing fans know it.

 

[wwkirk]

It's not even debatable

View attachment 1010566

Boxing has a big show here and there and pretty much no interest until the next big one months later. UFC has a much higher floor.

Very intriguing. Here's the link to the article.
https://www.mmanews.com/news/ufc-re...-in-2022-than-other-mma-and-boxing-promotions

 

[Fisticuffa]

Mma is just better. Boxing fans know it.

Boxing fans don't make a daily thread about how their sport is better, we know what's better & the world does too as it votes with its wallet

So do UFC bums which is why they issue random call outs to Boxers like Usman chasing Canelo begging for a payday or Sean begging Tank Davis & now Haney