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Boxing vs UFC in the U.S.

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Lampley

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Last night made it very clear why boxing is struggling here and UFC is building its audience. I watched both and, although I'm not really an MMA fan, the UFC matches were so much more exciting. The biggest difference to me is that the big fights get made. There's no Mayweather/Pacquaio bullshit, no PBC issues, no waiting around for HBO to decide on its budget.

This guy fights that guy for a shot at the title, and then the title fight happens. Period!

It didn't help that HBO knew going in they had a stinker of a fight on their hands. Scott makes for horrific viewing; they need to get tougher on matchmaking. If you don't try to win, you don't make it to HBO's airwaves.
 
#4 · (Edited)
No such thing as tomato cans, tune up fights or cherry picking either in the UFC. ruthless no mercy match making. joe silva promised that if a fighter turned down a fight for a piss poor reason the next opponent will be even harder. the man is hated by many a fighter for it

i love full cards as well - evenly matched from first prelim to main event. something like 10-14 fights most weekends.
 
#5 ·
UFC definetly riding a crest of a wave at the moment at the top end. Clearly McGregor a large part of it, it's rare to get someone as controversial and good at talking and selling a fight as he is, but then has exciting fight to keep the casuals buying again and takes big risks in his matchmaking, we haven't really had that in boxing in a long time. When you add that to the politics in boxing causing issues then things aren't great.

As always though things go in cycles, we had a brilliant year in 2013 I think it was and I'm very optimistic about next 12 months, we have 2 great fights in the next 2 weeks, we have a brilliant Showtime schedule, BT have heavily backed boxing in the U.K. this week which I'm not sure if the American posters know much about but it's a big deal here, I think GGG vs Jacobs will get made, heavyweights should get exciting in the next 12 months.

Maybe I'm an eternal optimist, and they're lots we can learn from the UFC but I'm hopefully next year.
 
#6 ·
Not a fan of the UFC/MMA, but their structure is clearly better, and it's definitely better for their fans at the moment than Boxing fans.

If Boxing had their same structure, it would be a dream come true.
 
#7 ·
Zopilote said:
Not a fan of the UFC/MMA, but their structure is clearly better, and it's definitely better for their fans at the moment than Boxing fans.

If Boxing had their same structure, it would be a dream come true.
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It's great for the fans but terrible for the fighters. The UFC circumvents and violates so many workers' rights standards. Boxing isn't great with regards to protections for fighters but the UFC is far worse.

The main takeaways are consistency in quality and promotion. There are enough top fighters to regularly churn out top fights and make sellable events out of them. Name recognition, ad space, a presence in the public's everyday lives somehow. Get casuals interested, satisfy them with a good card, they'll show up next time with more curiosity about other fighters, and invite their friends.
 
#8 ·
Kind of odd to think about when just a few years ago people were already saying that MMA was dying. The UFC has massive drawing power right now especially with Conor McG proving to be the goods as of late. Huge international fanbase on free TV regularly as well definitely helps fans in the loop in terms of who the top contenders are.
 
#12 ·
Biggest difference for me is that boxing promotes fights and fighters first. UFC promotes the sport (or the brand more specifically) first and then the fights/fighters. If a crossover star arrises out of this set up, like Mcgregor, then great. If not, then people will still tune in to UFC-whatevernumber- just because it is UFC.
 
#13 ·
Boxing is like a big rusty, clunky old truck thats on its last legs lurching slowly, aimlessly, from one place the next. Ok it is still just about chugging along, and people who remember it in its heyday still have good feelings towards it, but it needs a revamp and fast if its gonna keep up with the new trucks on the block.
 
#18 ·
Lampley said:
Last night made it very clear why boxing is struggling here and UFC is building its audience. I watched both and, although I'm not really an MMA fan, the UFC matches were so much more exciting. The biggest difference to me is that the big fights get made. There's no Mayweather/Pacquaio bullshit, no PBC issues, no waiting around for HBO to decide on its budget.

This guy fights that guy for a shot at the title, and then the title fight happens. Period!

It didn't help that HBO knew going in they had a stinker of a fight on their hands. Scott makes for horrific viewing; they need to get tougher on matchmaking. If you don't try to win, you don't make it to HBO's airwaves.
Click to expand...
I would say, that this is only the case as ufc is just a brand. If there were to be sanctioning bodies that oversaw all the different mma promotions you would find exactly the same mess. I think this is something that ufc plays up to its casual fans. That McGregor dude isn't a world champion, he is a ufc champion. While he continues to be a ufc fighter he will fight who he is told to.
 
#19 ·
mike_bngs said:
I would say, that this is only the case as ufc is just a brand. If there were to be sanctioning bodies that oversaw all the different mma promotions you would find exactly the same mess. I think this is something that ufc plays up to its casual fans. That McGregor dude isn't a world champion, he is a ufc champion. While he continues to be a ufc fighter he will fight who he is told to.
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Good point, UFC is just one organization with one belt. There are several other MMA organizations with their own champ
 
#20 ·
mike_bngs said:
That McGregor dude isn't a world champion, he is a ufc champion. While he continues to be a ufc fighter he will fight who he is told to.
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Any UFC champion is the champion of the world. They have a near-monopoly on the world's best fighters in every division, and nobody outside of their org has access to a strong enough pool of opponents to be considered more of The Man than his division's UFC kingpin. The only big-name guy who is percieved as a potential UFC champion who has never fought in the org, is Ben Askren. And his ONE FC pool of opponents is absolutely nothing compared to the monsters at the top of the UFC WW division. Rory McDonald is easily Bellator's highest-ranked guy, and he came up (juuuust) short in his UFC title shot last year.

Also McGregor in particular has a lot of power over choosing his own opponents. FAR more than basically any other UFC fighter.

:hat
 
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