Is MMA About "Putting Asses In Seats" or Athletic Competition?

All I hear is "putting asses in seats" "he is not a draw" "he doesn't move the needle" and blah blah.

What is this sport even about? HAHAHA

Why even have real athletes in the sport, why doesn't the UFC just get pretty boys and girls who can act with average fighting skill, and make that the sport?

 

Both

 

It's a D-level athletic competition

 

Mikey poses an interesting belief and proves higher intellect. The UFC is NOT the American Professional Wrestling. The championship belt is the symbol of the greatest fighter in the world and that is why the UFC establishes interim titles because you can never have enough greatest fighters.

 

The mixed martial arts fanbase is infantile, with many being crossover fans of the soap opera that is Professional Wrestling. These are not people interested in seeing the best of the best compete in legitimate athletic competition. These are kids who want the drama. They couldn't give a rats ass about "legitimate athletic competition". They aren't mixed martial arts fans...theyre drama fans.

 

its competition in the sense that the outcome is not pre determined, Prizefighting and what you get paid is how many asses you can put in seats.

 

I think the answer is pretty obvious in the WME era.

 

Well it's never going to be a legitimate sport.

So it really is just about selling fights.

 

Right to a certain extent. Of course it's a business and in order to function properly it has to be a bit of both... high value fights are good for the organisation, therefore good for the fighters and good for the sport.

However, I do feel that more than ever now the UFC is prioritising illogical money fights over true competition and I feel that the 'athletic competition' side of things (as you describe it) should ALWAYS come first. This should be a transparent meritocratic sport where the deserving contender fights for the championship every time. I can understand if there are multiple contenders considered 'worthy', but I don't feel this is the case in any division currently and the real legitimate fights are out there to be had, but are being ignored by the top brass who would much prefer to chase ratings and I think this will ultimately be at the detriment of the sport.

D-level in terms of popularity/notoriety yes you're right. D-level in terms of the quality of competition? No. Totally wrong. Fighting is the ultimate form of competition, moreso than any other sport or athletic competition on this planet. And MMA is the purest form of real fighting short of an unsanctioned street fight. Yes MMA is down on the list for the casual sports fan, but it is easily the purest form of sanctioned sports competition that exists in the world.

 

I think you may be right. The UFC is marketing itself to the wrong people. When fans are saying "he doesn't put asses in seats" that means there is appreciation for the art.

The UFC reminds me of hip hop. All you hear is "how many records did he sell?" "how many fancy cars does he own?"

Very little respect for authentic artistic expression.

 

It is Both.
There would be no MMA format as we know it without the Asses on the seats parts.

The end.

 

That's a really sad and pessimistic way to view the sport we love. How is it never going to be a legitimate sport? One day MMA will be as big (or bigger) than boxing in the public consciousness I guarantee it. It may take 50 years, but it will get there. It will never overtake basketball/NFL in America or soccer in the rest of the world in terms of sports popularity of course, but it will eventually become the premier combat sport.

 

MMA is a sport. UFC is entertainment.

 

It will become a legitimate sport. I truly believe Dana White and WME/IMG are taking the sport in the wrong direction.

They should continue to invest in building the integrity of the sport, and not catering to freak show match-ups.

 

Apparently it's all about changing bums' lives these days.

 

Depends on who you ask

 

Pretty accurate assessment of the world in general to be fair.

 

Well he's asking you. Pretty pointless response to be honest good chum.

 

The UFC is the flagship of MMA. At this point, the UFC is synonymous with MMA. Most people who follow MMA don't give a rat's ass about the other promotions.