Why The UFC Isn't Taken More Seriously

[sohocanaan22]

There are lots of reasons...

That's for sure, but I think there is one very simple reason that overrides the rest. There is no legit, outside-perspective media coverage. Real journalists not only police whatever sport, they tell its stories--good and bad--and they foster the personalities that fans connect with on a deeper level than simply competition.

If Sports Illustrated or the NYTimes had someone on a consistent UFC beat we could count on in-depth features about the guys and their lives: What's going on with Cain the person while he keeps getting injured and sits out; What's Conor's full story, what drives him apart from a desire to be the best in the world, blah, blah, blah; Are rumors of JBJ's coke use true...in 2010. Provocative on-background news.

Dana's handling of the press is so rough, no serious publication will bother with more than an occasional piece on big pops like Rousey, and big WWE stars moving over...

I don't see how it can change as long as the UFC is promotional entity and not a governing body. As the head of a promotional company, Dana is probably doing the right thing for his bottom line when he bans reporters who piss him off, etc.

 

[deviake]

If you compare the scandals of MMA to other sports, they're barely even average.

The people who don't take MMA and the UFC seriously are people who have problems with two people fighting in a cage employing several martial arts styles at once.

 

[stav]

LOL if UFC/MMA then iS A Pseudo sport/joke I guess Boxing's WBA is a complete circus freak show.

3 champions within one division? I get you can have an interim champ and a real chap that is injured unable to defend etc but 3??

can some one explain this to me?

WBA Super middleweight (168 lb, 76.2 kg)
Andre Ward
Super champion
United States
27–0–0–0 (14)
November 21, 2009
Carl Froch
Unified champion
United Kingdom
33–2–0–0 (24)
May 25, 2013
Fedor Chudinov (ru)
Interim champion
Russia
12–0–0–0 (10)
December 11, 2014

WTF Is a super champ and a unified champ??


WBA Middleweight (160 lb, 72.6 kg)

Gennady Golovkin
Super champion
Kazakhstan
31–0–0–0 (28)
June 3, 2014

Daniel Jacobs
United States
28–1–0–0 (25)
August 9, 2014

Dmitry Chudinov
Interim champion
Russia
14–0–2–0 (9)
December 21, 2013

WBA Super lightweight, Junior welterweight (140 lb, 63.5 kg)

Danny Garc

 

[HaterSlayer]

I don't see how the UFC isn't taken seriously. As far as your analogy with football goes there are lots of times when the Super bowl champion from the prior year doesn't even make the playoffs. This year was the first time in like 5 years that the Superbowl champion won a playoff game the next year.

As far as stripping Cain goes I think he's on his last legs here as far as that. The UFC doesn't take stripping champions lightly and they shouldn't. If they strip guys at the earliest opportunity then it ends up devaluing the belt. For example many were saying Jon Jones should get stripped. If they made the winner of Gus-Rumble the LHW champion there wouldn't be anyone who saw the winner of that fight as the legitimate champion.

They're handling Cain's situation fine. They went a bit crazy with Cruz, but with Cain they're handling it how they should as of now.

 

[SirDiddymus]

Cain really fucked them over by getting injured right before that Mexico show. Dana used to say that his champs fight the best three times a year.

Yeah, I think Glasquez is at something like 1.6 fights a year for his entire pro career.

 

[mikekoz68]

People who look down on MMA haven't a clue who people Cain or Dana are or care.

Exactly. TS made some valid points as to why Cain should be stripped of his title but the TS made ZERO sense and has zero understanding as to why people don't take UFC, MMA seriously. >>

Its two people beating each other up!! As society grows less violent in every aspect of life, this sport's goal is violence! Its not rocket science as to understanding why people who don't like violence, don't like or take the UFC seriously.

Its hard for this sport to have "casual" fans, either ppl like it or hate it and of those who like it a certain percentage will be hardcore fans. The UFC does not have one day Superbowl, or one month March Madness, or even 2 month Stanley Cup playoff fans....instead it has a percentage of people that would vote to BAN it if they could...its not even legal in New York still!! People may not care about other sports but I doubt many people would vote to ban them...but they would the UFC

That's the inherent difference between the UFC and other sports when you are talking popularity

Fans like us may complain about Cain keeping title, or fighter pay, or CM whoever, but we still watch and take it seriously...

 

[209Homie]

Because...The president of the organization is a joke... This latest fiasco, of White refusing to enforce the UFC's Code of conduct on his cash cow was shameful (Even more so, that he said cared about Jon Jones the person...when he let him fight after training on Cocaine/which IDC what anybody claims,it is a serious health risk)... It sets a bad precedent and further illustrates that their code of conduct rules are useless...

http://www.cagepotato.com/and-now-hes-fired-miguel-torres-cut-by-ufc-after-one-rape-joke-too-many/
(Dude got fired for quoting a TV Show)

 

[null]

I would love them back on spike

And I'd love to fuck Natalie Portman, but neither one of those things are happening. Why care what channel the UFC is on anyway?

 

[Paynebringer]

Truthfully I didn't read all that and I'm not sure of the angle you're taking with this with the thread title. All I can say from a business stand point the UFC is taken seriously just look at their Rebook & Harley Davidson partnership among others.

From a fan stand point they're taken seriously as source for fights and fan participation and when you're listed as Forbes Magazine as one of America's better run businesses I think you're taken serious?

 

[209Homie]

And I'd love to fuck Natalie Portman, but neither one of those things are happening.

[YT]CuwMvesrw7w[/YT]

 

[VanNucker]

Baseball is a non-contact sport. Bad Example.

 

[wilKO]

what makes wwe wwe is that it is scripted. it is scripted.

A lot of UFC is scripted. Fake arguments. Didn't Diaz and BJ catch them out on their fake scripts when asked to trash each other by guys behind the scenes?

 

[stav]

A lot of UFC is scripted. Fake arguments. Didn't Diaz and BJ catch them out on their fake scripts when asked to trash each other by guys behind the scenes?

The talking part is not the sport.
A lot of athletes talk shit and market their personal brands or that of their teams in a lot of sports across the world.
UFC and MMA are hardly new to "marketing" concepts.

 

[mikekoz68]

A lot of UFC is scripted. Fake arguments. Didn't Diaz and BJ catch them out on their fake scripts when asked to trash each other by guys behind the scenes?

That is nowhere near the same type of 'scripted' that we are talking about when it comes to the wwe. That's more like over the top hype, or even fake hype

 

[GENERAL AZUL]

Taken seriousely by whom?

 

[Xaa]

The average person who maybe catches a fight here and there at the homes of others or in sports bars doesn't even know who Cain is and if they do, they have no clue when he last fought. They have no idea who Dana White is and certainly don't spend their time watching his press conferences.

All of this is the fodder of Sherdog. Your standard citizen knows nothing about any of it.

 

[johnyboy]

And I'd love to fuck Natalie Portman, but neither one of those things are happening. Why care what channel the UFC is on anyway?

It was easier when everything was on one Station. Now I have no idea where the cards are.

 

[screaminleeman]

Well, I am the most adamant poster in 100% agreement with you.

It is an EASY explanation however. It is called: PRECEDENT!

Look my friend, I will mention NO NAMES, however there was a 19 month period where a UFC belt was not defended due to injury to the champion.

19 Months!

Please understand precedent, and DEMAND that the Zuffa replaces the upper management of the UFC for APPROVING this Fing horse S#$% that we despise so intensely.

The UFC would be taken WAY THE F seriously by 35 year old + MMA fans if the UFC breaks THEIR OWN F'ing precerdent and treats one of their champions injury status different from another.

Only the most immature fans would tolerate this kind of inconstancy from a "quote" unquote top level MMA organization.

Sorry, learn to love 19 month layoffs & Interim belts also not being defended regularly! That is the UFC precedent.

Stop complaining short of a DEMAND to Zuffa for the UFC brass heads on a silver platter!

 

[mad55555]

Connor getting a title shot if he beat siver is another reason why no one takes the UFC seriously. This is not a sport. It is prize fighting which only a sub culture even watches. sorta like golf,

 

[Thuckey]

I'm sure given more time and new management it will continue to evolve. Until then, we are left with many bad marketing decision etc. which for sure hinder the sports growth, but doesn't completely take away it's legitimacy. If people want to watch fights, they'll watch fights. Whether it becomes a social fad or not, there will still be fight fans in the next generation.. how large of a fraction of people that will be, only time will tell. That will ultimately determine UFC's popularity for the future.