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judo guy · 06-29-2001, 01:49 AM

Mik 36,

It will certainly reach a larger audience, but it will not reach the heights of popularity that peaked in the early UFC's.

People didn't watch the UFC to see technique. They watched because they wanted to see blood spilled. Well, this is why the majority of people watched. The people on this board are a little different.

The rules that will allow UFC to reach a larger market are the rules that will limit its appeal.

Its a Catch-22.

Quite honestly, the early intrigue of NHB/MMA is gone for me. What made it interesting for me was it attempted to answer those age old questions of "who would win between a boxer and a wrestler?" etc.

As MMA evolved into its own unique sport, where the set of skills needed to succeed were becoming homogenized, its appeal diminished for me.

For the UFC to succeed, it needs athletes with "star" quality. Take a look at the discussions here. When UFC or Pride roll around, people don't talk about the styles competing, they talk about the combatants.

I'm not sure any of the UFC athletes have "mass appeal". I think UFC is pinning its best hopes on Tito Ortiz in this regard.

Also, Americans don't appreciate ground grappling. Heck, I don't like to watch ground fighting for extended periods. Yet, for the sport to remain true to its roots, ground fighting has to be given equal consideration. This reduces the appeal of the sport dramatically.

Remember the early UFC's didn't have much ground fighting. Royce ended the matches pretty quickly. Look how the buy rates dropped when the guard became a popular position.

Another consideration is how do they win back its earlier fans? The newer form of MMA will pale in comparison to what they witnessed before. The competitors are much better now, but the action and more importantly "dangerous" aspects of MMA are gone. The earlier UFC's were more "chaotic" and had elements of "brutality" that you will never see again.

So, in conclusion, I think the UFC faces some problems that are difficult to overcome if it is ever going to be more than a "cult" sport. It will be more successful than it has been for the last several years, which is a good thing. But I think its window of opportunity for mass appeal has passed it by.

06-29-2001, 01:49 AM	#2 (permalink)
judo guy Novice Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 177 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Mik 36, It will certainly reach a larger audience, but it will not reach the heights of popularity that peaked in the early UFC's. People didn't watch the UFC to see technique. They watched because they wanted to see blood spilled. Well, this is why the majority of people watched. The people on this board are a little different. The rules that will allow UFC to reach a larger market are the rules that will limit its appeal. Its a Catch-22. Quite honestly, the early intrigue of NHB/MMA is gone for me. What made it interesting for me was it attempted to answer those age old questions of "who would win between a boxer and a wrestler?" etc. As MMA evolved into its own unique sport, where the set of skills needed to succeed were becoming homogenized, its appeal diminished for me. For the UFC to succeed, it needs athletes with "star" quality. Take a look at the discussions here. When UFC or Pride roll around, people don't talk about the styles competing, they talk about the combatants. I'm not sure any of the UFC athletes have "mass appeal". I think UFC is pinning its best hopes on Tito Ortiz in this regard. Also, Americans don't appreciate ground grappling. Heck, I don't like to watch ground fighting for extended periods. Yet, for the sport to remain true to its roots, ground fighting has to be given equal consideration. This reduces the appeal of the sport dramatically. Remember the early UFC's didn't have much ground fighting. Royce ended the matches pretty quickly. Look how the buy rates dropped when the guard became a popular position. Another consideration is how do they win back its earlier fans? The newer form of MMA will pale in comparison to what they witnessed before. The competitors are much better now, but the action and more importantly "dangerous" aspects of MMA are gone. The earlier UFC's were more "chaotic" and had elements of "brutality" that you will never see again. So, in conclusion, I think the UFC faces some problems that are difficult to overcome if it is ever going to be more than a "cult" sport. It will be more successful than it has been for the last several years, which is a good thing. But I think its window of opportunity for mass appeal has passed it by. Last edited by judo guy; 06-29-2001 at 01:59 AM.