MMA vs Boxing Popularity - Unknowable Mystery?

[Kryptt]

Like what you enjoy and let others do the same.

 

[wwkirk]

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.

That's certainly believable. MMA certainly has more buzz. But I thought businesses relied a lot a on hard numbers. Is it that social media numbers are the hard numbers nowadays? Is that the case for most businesses or just sports? My only hesitancy about social media is whether those scores translate into dollars (or cash) in a reliable way.

 

[theincognito]

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.

Popularity and money are linked. A lot of that money isn't even from PPV but from the broadcasting deal. Meanwhile, instead of getting huge deals like that, boxing is getting dropped by its longtime broadcaster Showtime.

 

[theincognito]

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

I'm not even happy about it because it's what makes them content to put out trash cards, but facts are facts.

 

[wwkirk]

As the TS, I must say, this seems to be the answer. Thanks to @theincognito

 

[HavokHarmon]

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.

That and there’s a pretty steep drop off once you get past the top handful of guys, and an even steeper one once you get past the next set. Boxings floor is pretty damn low.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

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

Did you just compare Gosford stadium to Wembley.


MMA seems to have a continued consistent following compared to boxing that turns in big numbers for certain guys.

UFC events while popular down here don't garner that big fight appeal and feel

 

[Bearknuckle]

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

You’re the one in a UFV discussion…this is an mma forum

 

[Fisticuffa]

Did you just compare Gosford stadium to Wembley.


MMA seems to have a continued consistent following compared to boxing that turns in big numbers for certain guys.

UFC events while popular down here don't garner that big fight appeal and feel

I mentioned Gosford because Jai is a hometown guy & its his dream to have a fight there, not a literal comparison to Wembley. With what he showed against Thompson & if he carries forward that style, he will fill any stadium in Australia & the world especially if he ever manages to get HW

What MMA "seems" to have is a very delusional fanbase that lives in a bubble with continued cope posting about Boxing. Somehow Boxing is always "dying" & yet UFC bums keep calling out random Boxers to have Boxing bouts. Somehow they manage to forget MMA's current situation in Japan (the # 1 market for MMA not so long ago & the 4th largest economy on the planet). Boxing in Japan doesn't depend on some promoter staying alive to do major numbers

Again who are some of the combat sports stars in Japan right now? Naoya Inoue, Junto Nakatani, Kenshiro Teraji, Kazuto Ioka & Inoue will only continue to get bigger

Yes certain guys generate big numbers in Boxing because Boxing is primarily about Boxers, its not about Eddie Hearn & Matchroom, Bob Arum & Top Rank. Fighters are not cogs to replace because they don't fight for a certain promoter. So naturally when Inoue fights he will get bigger numbers than Nakatani & if Inoue is injured, the card will be delayed, he is simply not replaceable with some other Ohashi promotions fighter

That means Boxing's survival & popularity isn't tied to some promoters (like JMMA's was tied to Pride FC's) & it will continually keep churning out stars while deluded UFC fanboys keep proclaiming Boxing is dead far into the future (nothing new, they were saying Boxing was dead in Jack Dempsey's day https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/...ng-boxing-is-dead-for-over-a-century.1668361/)

 

[Fisticuffa]

You’re the one in a UFV discussion…this is an mma forum

Thanks sherlock, has nothing to do with my point

Boxing fans don't need to make a daily cope thread about how Boxing is better than UFC unlike you clowns

 

[Bruce Lee666]

As the TS, I must say, this seems to be the answer. Thanks to @theincognito

Boxing it's Dying and Hardcore fans know this.

 

[Bruce Lee666]

Thanks sherlock, has nothing to do with my point

Boxing fans don't need to make a daily cope thread about how Boxing is better than UFC unlike you clowns

Boxing still have forums ? How talk about boxing in 2023 ?

 

[Bearknuckle]

Thanks sherlock, has nothing to do with my point

Boxing fans don't need to make a daily cope thread about how Boxing is better than UFC unlike you clowns

Actually, boxing fans use to be the biggest haters of mma and ufc. They were threatened. But now act like they dont care lol.

 

[Fisticuffa]

Boxing still have forums ? How talk about boxing in 2023 ?

MMA guys fighting in Japanese parking lots I heard

May be you can ask them about Boxing forums & which of them lined up first to get tickets to watch Naoya Inoue & Junto Nakatani fight at the Ariake Arena & Saitama Super Arena

 

[Fisticuffa]

Actually, boxing fans use to be the biggest haters of mma and ufc. They were threatened. But now act like they dont care lol.

Who feels threatened is obvious when UFC bums like Usman & Sean run around begging for a Boxing payday to Canelo, Tank, Haney etc

If your sport is any good, then they wouldn't feel the need for it

 

[wwkirk]

Boxing it's Dying and Hardcore fans know this.

Where are these graphs from? Also, what was going on back in 2008, the last time boxing equipment had good sales?

 

[Bearknuckle]

Who feels threatened is obvious when UFC bums like Usman & Sean run around begging for a Boxing payday to Canelo, Tank, Haney etc

If your sport is any good, then they wouldn't feel the need for it

We’re talking about whats bigger. The statistics show mma is way more popular. The fact that ufc stars want to go into boxing is not because its better, its because its a quick payday to do a watered down version of fighting.

mma stars are more popular, because when they box, they get paid millions, that means more eyes want to see them fight. The fact that UFC has bad contracts doesnt make the sport less popular.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

I mentioned Gosford because Jai is a hometown guy & its his dream to have a fight there, not a literal comparison to Wembley. With what he showed against Thompson & if he carries forward that style, he will fill any stadium in Australia & the world especially if he ever manages to get HW

What MMA "seems" to have is a very delusional fanbase that lives in a bubble with continued cope posting about Boxing. Somehow Boxing is always "dying" & yet UFC bums keep calling out random Boxers to have Boxing bouts. Somehow they manage to forget MMA's current situation in Japan (the # 1 market for MMA not so long ago & the 4th largest economy on the planet). Boxing in Japan doesn't depend on some promoter staying alive to do major numbers

Again who are some of the combat sports stars in Japan right now? Naoya Inoue, Junto Nakatani, Kenshiro Teraji, Kazuto Ioka & Inoue will only continue to get bigger

Yes certain guys generate big numbers in Boxing because Boxing is primarily about Boxers, its not about Eddie Hearn & Matchroom, Bob Arum & Top Rank. Fighters are not cogs to replace because they don't fight for a certain promoter. So naturally when Inoue fights he will get bigger numbers than Nakatani & if Inoue is injured, the card will be delayed, he is simply not replaceable with some other Ohashi promotions fighter

That means Boxing's survival & popularity isn't tied to some promoters (like JMMA's was tied to Pride FC's) & it will continually keep churning out stars while deluded UFC fanboys keep proclaiming Boxing is dead far into the future (nothing new, they were saying Boxing was dead in Jack Dempsey's day https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/...ng-boxing-is-dead-for-over-a-century.1668361/)

I wouldn't hinge Boxings popularity on Japan, a country of fad culture.

The biggest thing Boxing has over mma is thriving local scene where fighters grow up in front of there own people causing a swell off grass roots support that propels there popularity as they build themselves in front of a home crowd.

 

[Bruce Lee666]

Who feels threatened is obvious when UFC bums like Usman & Sean run around begging for a Boxing payday to Canelo, Tank, Haney etc

If your sport is any good, then they wouldn't feel the need for it

If you sport are Good you doesn't need pay fat Checks for MMA guys fight the sport you like.

 

[Fisticuffa]

I wouldn't hinge Boxings popularity on Japan, a country of fad culture.

The biggest thing Boxing has over mma is thriving local scene where fighters grow up in front of there own people causing a swell off grass roots support that propels there popularity as they build themselves in front of a home crowd.

Nothing about Boxing in Japan is "fad culture" (this "fad culture" is the cope MMA fans guys came up with when JMMA fell off a cliff merely because a promoter died instead of reexamining the way your sport is structured. If UFC dies, you will see how much of MMA is also just a "fad" in US using the same logic)

Japan has the third most world champs after US & Mexico & Boxing has been a thing since at least the days of Fighting Harada

Fad culture doesn't produce Ioka, Inoue, Teraji, & Nakatani 1 after the other & now an upcoming prospect in Tsutsumi Hayato at 126. A good amateur system focused on churning out 1 top notch Boxer after another does

Before Ioka & Inoue there was Uchiyama who was filling the same arena's. If Murata had been more active & didn't fall short of world level when he lost to GGG, he would be another current star

If Ohashi (Inoue's promoter since the start) dies, it wouldn't put a dent in Japanese Boxing's long term survival & popularity & ability to produce the next world champs