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Sports

UFC challenges professional boxing in new audiences

Titan

Mark Suarez 

There are no bigger champions in sports in American history than boxers. Icons of the sport such as Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali were not just boxers in their respective eras, but American symbols of courage, strength and controversy that wore the fabric of American turmoil on their sleeves. At one time the world heavyweight championship was the most coveted prize in sports. 

Yet in today's world, professional boxing is seen in a very different light. America's romance with the sweet science has grown cold due to corruption and lack of star power that has plagued the sport in recent years. The Mike Tyson post-prison era didn't do boxing any favors either. 

Boxing has always been able to find a way to hold its ground in the market among fight fans, however. That is, until now with the explosion in popularity for Ultimate Fighting Championship that is currently capturing the interest of fight fans nationwide. 

Beginning in 2001, the UFC was revitalized into a legitimate sport when new ownership implemented rules that replaced the no-holds-barred action that often drew criticism for its brutality. Changes from the old era included controlled 35-minute rounds for matches and limitations on offensive strikes. The new rules conform to Nevada's regulations, which were specifically written for mixed martial art fights. This, coupled with the advent of the hit reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter, helped alter the face of mixed martial arts as popularity for the sport has begun to soar.

The UFC produces a hard-edge, underground appeal that boxing simply cannot match; and yes, the UFC is a sport. There is strategy in trying to knock out or take an opponents to the ground and make him submit. In a typical match, competitors square off in "the octagon" and attempt to physically dominate their opponent using a variety of disciplines that include, but are not limited to ju-jitsu, judo, karate, boxing, kickboxing and wrestling. 

The weight classes and champion system are easy to understand and follow, unlike in boxing where champions are recognized by the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Championship, International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organization by a whopping 17 different weight classes. This system can be hard to follow because it creates four different champions in each division. In the UFC, the four respective weight classes of heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, and welterweight all produce undisputed champions. 

Household names such as Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin and Matt Hughes, who all starred as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter in recent years, are currently leading the way in the UFC. 

If boxing wants to remain the No. 1 choice for fight fans, it needs to produce more marquee fights like the Bernard Hopkins versus Antonio Tarver fight it did this weekend. However, the pre-fight episodes of Antonio Tarver presenting a rocking chair to 41 year-old Bernard Hopkins don't do much for boxing in terms of credibility. This kind of antic is reserved for World Wrestling Entertainment and needs to stay there where it belongs. 

Boxing is an American institution, but that does not make it exempt in the marketplace. The UFC is making a strong push for fight fans and getting results, and the proof is in the numbers. Earlier this year, the season premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 3 drew 2.4 million viewers, the largest amount in Spike TV history for an original series premiere. 

At a recent UFC pay-per-view event, UFC 59, 17,000 fight fans filled the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, Calif. It was the largest crowd ever for a UFC live event.

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