Some people just don't like watching something as violent as 2 people beating each other up. That's why no matter how well the sport is promoted, it will never be on the same level as Football, Soccer, Hockey etc..
I'm starting to see MMA videos in the ESPN Youtube channel.
Joe Rogan has said it before that MMA is the greatest sport and that all other sports pale in comparison. Why watch a bunch of guys try to get a ball into a goal or a hoop when you can see two dudes headkicking each other.
I tend to agree with him because there is just something about one on one combat that is incredibly compelling. It gets to the root of all competition, whether or not one man can beat another man's ass.
The FOX deal was a huge step, but the ESPN deal will be that much bigger. ESPN is the channel for sports and ESPN covering and showing events finally and ultimately legitimizes MMA as a popular sport in America, on par with the NFL and the NBA.
I doubted WME, but they clearly had an end goal in mind, to broaden the audience of MMA and make it as much a mainstream sport in the States as American football or basketball.
ESPN coverage is probably the biggest step MMA could have taken in that direction.
We are going to see sports fans of all types getting into MMA. Even if they aren't interested, MMA will be getting covered on the biggest sports channel, and they will be forced to deal with it.
Thinking about it this has to be the biggest thing that has happened in the history of MMA to bring it into the mainstream platform.
Fighters that transcended the sport into the mainstream like Ronda and Conor clearly deserve some credit for the way things are headed. GSP probably deserves a mention as well. And obviously MMA was always more mainstream in Brazil than it is in the USA.
Sometimes when you tell people that you are into MMA they give you this weird look because you like to watch half nekkid men roll around in a cage, but no more. We can hold our heads up high with our superior knowledge and understanding of the sport and proudly say that we are hardcore MMA fans. There will be many new fans and we will be here to teach them the ropes. It will be glorious.
Society finally got a backbone and told them to fuck themselves about transgender (dudes) fighting women.ESPN loves it because of the forced female “athletes” put on the same card. The only way you could make those beta cucks happier would to include transgenders on it too.
All I'm hearing here is non-stop conservative outrage.We can only hope, but Fox Sports was kicking ESPN's ass. Also kinda worried they will try to pussify the sport with excessive liberal outrage
The barbarism can be a turn off for some. That's for damn sure.
Yeah I could think that someone with a large following like Conor could threaten the UFC to hold a boxing match on google-ppv if it existed back then.I believe that unless UFC adapts it will get netflix’ed just like blockbuster. PPV is very old and has existed since the early 80s. A competitor will leverage social media a much more nimble, lean web based delivery platform and pay fighters more. Next 2 years it will start. Then UFC will have to decide. It will start as relative shit show but once fighters start getting paid some young talent will defect or start there.
Ufc has already blown up
If youd been watching since the old days you would know this
Last year i watched an 0-0 boxer fight 50 and 0 Floyd Jr.
Yea.. We made it.
Its there. Now its just like boxing. We will have eras where mma is booming and stale years/seasons
They ufc was co promoting that event.......How did the ufc blow up if since that Boxing match, ufc ppv buys are down, ufc tv ratings are down and the ufc took a tv deal on an Internet tv channel with some occasional events on ESPN?
Conors bank account won from that Boxing match. The UFC didn’t win anything. They are worse off now
This is not the "biggest thing to ever happen to MMA." It's the biggest thing to happen to UFC, or MMA in the west. Check out some of Japan's most watched events. The UFC has never put up numbers close to Pride's highest rated events, or even K1's. 54 million people watched Bob Sapo/Akebono I. Hell, fucking Charles Krazy Horse Bennett has pulled in higher ratings than the UFC ever has, and probably ever will. LOFL
I understand your enthusiasm, TS, but the UFC still hasn't come anywhere close to the popularity that Pride enjoyed. The US is not the world, and the UFC isn't the only thing when talking MMA. Broaden your scope.
I read "this is the biggest thing to ever happen in MMA." It's not.I mention specifically America and American sports in the post. Broaden my scope? How about read the post.
I read "this is the biggest thing to ever happen in MMA." It's not.
Some people just don't like watching something as violent as 2 people beating each other up. That's why no matter how well the sport is promoted, it will never be on the same level as Football, Soccer, Hockey etc..
But the ESPN thing will surely give the sport even more exposure and bring in some new fans.