MMA vs Boxing Popularity - Unknowable Mystery?

[AdamWarlock]

mma has the potential to surpass boxing but ufc is ran so badly that any potential at this point is gone

 

[Iroh]

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?

Being curious about what is more popular doesn't mean you want to know it only to copy it for yourself. People can just be interested in other people, society and the world, without having to make it directly about themselves.

For one, it helps predict the futures of these sports. The more popular sport will likely grow more & at a faster pace, than the less popular sports.

 

[BrockLesnarsTurtleBack]

mma has the potential to surpass boxing but ufc is ran so badly that any potential at this point is gone

MMA is bigger than boxing.

 

[Iroh]

Depends on where.

MMA is more popular in northern America, especially in USA.

While boxing is more popular in UK & in Europe.

Not here in the Netherlands. Nobody ever gave a shit about boxing here. It's never been big.

Also UK is still a part of Europe.

 

[Fisticuffa]

MMA is bigger than boxing.

Check the thread dumbass

The world isn't suburban USA

 

[Fisticuffa]

Totally a fad

I missed this, good catch

All those locations are major train stations & considering how much bigger mass transit is in Japan, you can't get any bigger in promotion

Inoue is a star in Japan only surpassed by Ohtani & perhaps Hanyu the skater

 

[blaseblase]

The biggest fights in boxing are more popular than the biggest fights in mma. But your average UFC card is more popular than your average boxing card.

 

[HHJ]

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

Because they are bums and arent worth anything to MMA anymore. Boxing on the other hand,can make money off of MMA bums just like MMA can make money off of boxing bums.

 

[HatKick]

Depends on the country/region. In my uneducated opinion:

Boxing more popular: Mexico, UK, Ukrain, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Philippines

MMA more popular: Brazil, Australia, NZ, France, Caucasus, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan

More or less even: USA, Canada, Russia, Japan, South Korea

 

[Fisticuffa]

Because they are bums and arent worth anything to MMA anymore. Boxing on the other hand,can make money off of MMA bums just like MMA can make money off of boxing bums.

Ngannou is a bum?

Current UFC stars like Sean O'malley or Usman are bums

Nice cope you got going there

 

[Fisticuffa]

Depends on the country. In my uneducated opinion:

Boxing more popular: Mexico, UK, Ukrain, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Philippines

MMA more popular: Brazil, Australia, NZ, France, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan

More or less even: USA, Canada, Russia, Japan, South Korea

Lol MMA is nowhere close to Boxing in Japan ever since Pride FC went under

Not a single MMA star comes anywhere close to Inoue in Japan leave alone other champs like Nakatani

Rizin was generating its major ratings from Tenshin, a kickboxing star who transitioned to boxing along with Takei even though he got offers from MMA promoters

The following is what Tenshin had to say about the status Boxing enjoys in Japan:

"(Boxing) has an incredible level of trust from the public," he said. There is another stance as well. It's not just about facing opponents, but always adopting the attitude of "fighting against the world." By turning to boxing, Tenshin realized the "authority" of being recognized by the world as a ring sport.

"Quite a few people know that I switched to boxing. I get encouragement from uncles, women, and children on the street, saying, 'Good luck with boxing.'"

He also experienced firsthand the difference in the way the media treated him.

"Just by announcing the switch, it was covered in newspapers and reported on national news... Even my debut fight was in all the newspapers, so I thought, 'Oh, this is how it is.' It has a long history, and the trust of the masses is amazing.. It made me feel that it's truly acknowledged by society as something legitimate (as a sport)."

News - Nasukawa Tenshin: Boxing has an incredible level of trust from the Japanese public

Most in the West know Tenshin as the guy who got stopped by Floyd in an exhibition but he is an elite Kickboxer who did big ratings in Japan & his biggest Kickboxing fight sold 500K buys there (impressive because PPV isn't a thing in Japan like in the West). So I got curious on why he switched...

forums.sherdog.com

 

[HHJ]

Ngannou is a bum?

Current UFC stars like Sean O'malley or Usman are bums

Nice cope you got going there

Dawwww

Nice selective reasoning you got there. Askren and Woodley were def cream of the crop when they actually had boxing fights. Nate Diaz spry as any top young fighter! Frank Mir the top fresh new thing! I take it all back! All those doing the bareknuckle fights are the best MMA currently has!! Vitor Belfort,Diego Sanchez,the list goes on and on!!!!!


O'malley and Usman might want boxing fights but they aint gonna get em. Its a pipe dream. They are interested in it,but it aint gonna happen. The Conor experiment was worth doing once. It made alot of money. But Dana aint sendin his guys out to do that again.

So most of the fights actually happening,are the guys who cant get any money out of MMA anymore,that arent tied down by the UFC,cos the UFC already cut them.

Ngannou is an outlier,esp since boxing was what he had always wanted to do all along,and he used MMA to get there. Thats unprecedented and unique.

 

[HHJ]

Lol MMA is nowhere close to Boxing in Japan ever since Pride FC went under

For sure nothin Rizin is doin competes with Inoue-mania. And really it shouldnt anyway

 

[HatKick]

Lol MMA is nowhere close to Boxing in Japan ever since Pride FC went under

Not a single MMA star comes anywhere close to Inoue in Japan leave alone other champs like Nakatani

Rizin was generating its major ratings from Tenshin, a kickboxing star who transitioned to boxing along with Takei even though he got offers from MMA promoters

The following is what Tenshin had to say about the status Boxing enjoys in Japan:

"(Boxing) has an incredible level of trust from the public," he said. There is another stance as well. It's not just about facing opponents, but always adopting the attitude of "fighting against the world." By turning to boxing, Tenshin realized the "authority" of being recognized by the world as a ring sport.

"Quite a few people know that I switched to boxing. I get encouragement from uncles, women, and children on the street, saying, 'Good luck with boxing.'"

He also experienced firsthand the difference in the way the media treated him.

"Just by announcing the switch, it was covered in newspapers and reported on national news... Even my debut fight was in all the newspapers, so I thought, 'Oh, this is how it is.' It has a long history, and the trust of the masses is amazing.. It made me feel that it's truly acknowledged by society as something legitimate (as a sport)."

News - Nasukawa Tenshin: Boxing has an incredible level of trust from the Japanese public

Most in the West know Tenshin as the guy who got stopped by Floyd in an exhibition but he is an elite Kickboxer who did big ratings in Japan & his biggest Kickboxing fight sold 500K buys there (impressive because PPV isn't a thing in Japan like in the West). So I got curious on why he switched...

forums.sherdog.com

Yeah I didn't feel too sure about that one. You're probably right. Sad what happened to MMA in Japan.

 

[HHJ]

All them UFC guys who want boxing fights are ALL TALK.,other then Francis.

When it comes time to be a free agent,they just stay in MMA. So people might say MMA guys are getting paid shit,but they dont actually leave MMA for boxing,even when they could do it. They only want to do it without losing their spot in the UFC.

 

[ferrisjso]

Its hard to tell because their popularlity depends on the type of event and their audience heavily overlaps. The biggest boxers cards peform better but the average UFC card performs better.

MMAs popularity came from correcting boxings various structual issues(lack of clear champions, the best fighters not fighting, cards only having 1 good fight etc) but in terms of the sports itself boxing is more popular. Boxing is objectively inferior to MMA in terms of combat but people prefer fist hitting face to a real fight. You need not look further than the MMA fans bitching about fighters using grappling to understand that. Majority of MMA fans want MMA to be kickboxing even if they don't say that they don't need to.

 

[ferrisjso]

All them UFC guys who want boxing fights are ALL TALK.,other then Francis.

When it comes time to be a free agent,they just stay in MMA. So people might say MMA guys are getting paid shit,but they dont actually leave MMA for boxing,even when they could do it. They only want to do it without losing their spot in the UFC.

Kimbo went into boxing.

RIP.

 

[HHJ]

Kimbo went into boxing.

RIP.

True. He was a bum as far as MMA standards when he did it,but again,a unique situation.

He was a superstar BEFORE MMA and managed to make some money in boxing after....but obviously some fishyness going on there.

RIP though.

 

[ferrisjso]

True. He was a bum as far as MMA standards when he did it,but again,a unique situation.

He was a superstar BEFORE MMA and managed to make some money in boxing after....but obviously some fishyness going on there.

RIP though.

He was criminally underrated. Was put against Roy Nelson and Mitrione as a relative novice.

 

[HHJ]

He was criminally underrated. Was put against Roy Nelson and Mitrione as a relative novice.

I think had he started younger,and cross trained then,he would be a huge force. He was old,with arhthritis,and had some heart problems unfortunatley. I miss the dude. Looks Scary as fuck but a big teddy bear underneath.