Is MMA and UFC killing Boxing?

That’s a good point. People seem to have less time for sports in general.

 

Why can`t they carry the sport? Most of the biggest names are on the saudi cards.
Sources Reporting: Canelo & Turki Alalshikh Are Reportedly Negotiating A 3 Fight Deal, In Which Includes A Fight With Terence Crawford For September To Take Place In Las Vegas‼️20 Jan 2025

Canelo & Turki Alalshikh Are Reportedly Negotiating A 3 Fight ...

 

Not soccer/football.

 

No, Conor v Khabib is the one of te biggest combat sports events of all-time.

 

Turki Alalshikh has already made an unforgettable impact on the sport of boxing, and now it appears there will be another layer added. According to The New York Times, Alalshikh and TKO Holdings, the company that owns the UFC and WWE, are partnering to start a new boxing league.9 Jan 2025
UFC/TKO's Rumored New Boxing League: Latest Info And 5 ...

 

That's all?

They've hardly outdone themselves since then, have they?

 

Have any boxing matches since though?

 

They are doing roughly 10 cards a year, it´s not enough.
There is now a big, big void in the American market which used to be filled with SHO, HBO, ESPN and others. Now barely anything is going on, except the occasional PPV on DAZN or Amazon prime.

 

Well what do you think will happen then?

 

I think someone is going to fill up that US void, don´t know who. But I imagine someone big like Top Rank used to be or maybe PBC. I don´t see how the US market will stay barren for much longer.

Saudi´s will likely ramp things up in the coming years, with 10 or more cards a year in Riyadh. They will probably promote quite a bit around the globe too, building up mega fights for Riyadh.

 

UFC peaked 5-10 years ago and now it is kind of stagnating ATM, its not a particularly exciting time for the sport, not much to look forward to. Plus, grappling is so dull to watch.

Boxing will always be the top dog when it comes to martial arts, there is too much of rich culture and history behind it.

 

Boxing isn't being killed by anything. Not itself and definitely not by UFC. Popularity births $$..... When you look at the earnings of the top guys from both sports......The money garnered isn't even close. As a matter of fact, the highest paid UFC/MMA fighter needed a boxer to gain his largest payday.

Guys like Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Alex Usyk, Deontay Wilder, & Canelo Alvarez have made over $100M from boxing. There isn't a single UFC fighter even close to half of that earned from being in the octagon.

Boxing even though we complain about the top guys avoiding each other for different reasons, the fans still keep the sport healthy with it's attendance and financial support of even the most garbage cards and/or main events.

How much money do you think Jake Paul would get by fighting in the octagon.......No where near what he's getting from his high profile boxing matches.

I'm honestly tired of the comparison. They are 2 different sports that deserve it's respect. Like rugby and American football. Yes, you can find the similarities, but let's be real....has there ever been a rugby even that comes close to having the effect of the Super Bowl financially?

Largest revenue UFC card to date is UFC 229. Gained $180M.......2.4M PPV buys. I can name 5 PPV tickets in the last decade alone, that's topped that.

Hell, a couple old men in Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr fought in 2020. 1.6M PPV buys on an relatively unknown platform (Triller). Can you name two UFC legends their ages that can do the same today facing each other?

 

UFC is barely relevant these days

 

speaking from the US perspective boxing is already in a difficult place as a major sport and as most have pointed out, it is self inflicted.

I do think UFC is going to be in some trouble from the emergence of BKFC. I think there are many sports fans who want more violence than pro boxing offers. Mayweather vs Pacquiao was a huge disappointment and even Mayweather vs De La Hoya was a let down at a time when UFC was starting to get into the mainstream. I came of age at the time of UFC becoming a serious sport and my age bracket does not really care about boxing. The kids in their 20's who I managed at my previous job all knew the UFC fighters and the little boxing they watched was Jake Paul, Ryan Garcia or maybe the odd Canelo fight.

All of this is to say that boxing turned many young fans off but UFC I feel has possibly hit its ceiling and fans are looking for that next thing. I think BKFC appeals to the casual sports fans who like violence but boxing is not extreme enough and it doesn't have the "boring" grappling. If BKFC starts eating some of UFC's lunch then maybe boxing can carve a lane back in

I did listen to the Boxing Rant today and the two hosts were talking about PBC's failure and DAZN's failure and wondering if Turki is basically going to fail where those other two organizations failed. There is also a changing media landscape. First it was network TV showing boxing like NBC, ABC etc. then it moved to HBO and SHO then it moved to sports platforms like DAZN and ESPN and now it looks like larger giants like Amazon and Netflix. I worry that continued Balkanization for lack of a better term of media and pop culture means that boxing which is already a niche sport only becomes more of a niche sport.

I think boxing still has a chance as some influencer/celebrity types can still generate a lot of interest with boxing as a vehicle though that has not generate larger interest. I think boxing can go back to the way things were so to speak and do the things that UFC fans like about UFC and not boxing. If boxing could get back to one belt, a clear league or ranking system, have more frequent fights between stars I think it will make the sport seem more legitimate for one. I also think having one belt will also lead to better champions and better contender fights and we get fewer PPV snooze fest main events. We will have truly seasoned champions and truly seasoned contenders

But the powers that be would rather create, announce and celebrate unified interim champions

 

This is honestly a pretty weird time to make this thread. The UFC has actually been in a bit of a quiet patch for the last 3 years.