Why is the UFC gaining popularity?

lol what were the viewing figures back then in the UK? I didn`t know about MMA until I clicked on Rousey`s name on my lap top in 2015, she was far more famous back then than any MMA fighter had been up to that point, then Conor took it to the next level. Only in the last few years has MMA fights got any mention in national British newspapers.

 

The mainstream media was slow to catch on tbf, that applies to the US as well. They were still calling it human cockfighting, barbaric etc up until the early 10s. But there was definitely a fanbase in the UK. The UFC started coming to the UK pretty regularly from 07 onwards and they were typically doing 10-20k in attendance. For perspective they only ran one UK show before 2007. They pushed a crop of UK guys fairly hard too, Bisping won his season of TUF and then they did a TUF US vs UK, that the UK won, with Bisping and Hendo as coaches. Then Bisping/Hendo was a prominent fight at UFC 100 which at the time was the biggest drawing UFC card ever. Lots of MMA gyms started popping up in the UK in the second half of the 00s too. I'm not saying it was a proper mainstream thing (it isnt even now really) but i'd liken it to say the WWE where its theres a sizeable cult following and they can run shows in the UK and theres a demand for it.

Oh, and who could forget Cage Rage, the sleaziest MMA promotion ever.

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So basically Hughie or Tyson only win with restricted rules with just boxing which is completely in their favour, gotcha.

 

Facts

 

This sounds like a troll post, now compare Wilder/Fury 3 to Verhoeven/Saddik from Glory's Kickboxing promotion, much more entertaining/dramatic.

 

The fact is most boxers are scared to fight the best, look at how long it took Mayweather/Pacquiao to fight, why haven't Crawford/Spence fought? It's quite embarrassing when compared to in MMA the best will usually just fight. We'd still be waiting for Khabib and McGregor to fight if it was boxing.

Also how many boxers want to fight MMA fighters, but only in boxing? It's embarrassing like when Wilder wanted to fight Brock or Fury wanting to fight Cain Velasquez.

 

Well they aren’t going to beat him in an Octagon are they

 

So that means nothing then, this is literally how boxers sound when wanting to fight MMA fighters:

"I want to fight you but WAIT no kicks! Also NO submissions! So definitely no grappling too! Also elbows! No just punching that's it nothing else please!"

 

Who cares? Fury is a better boxer than Ngannou and Ngannou is a better mixed martial artist than Tyson, who the hell cares?

 

Stop? Boxing is a test of fistic skill and prowess, MMA is a test of how we3ll rounded their skills are, who cares?

 

I'm referring to how many boxers have challenged MMA fighters but are unwilling to actually fight MMA fighters when they are not restricted.

Also am I wrong that fights like Khabib and McGregor still wouldn't of happened yet if MMA was like boxing?

 

Bisping more popular than Ricky Hatton..... surely you jest!

 

because ufc/mma fans know that if fury or wilder stepped into the ufc they would be swept and tapped out like white belts they are. Boxing is nice for entertainment. But ive never saw a boxing match and said ' well that settles who would win in an actual fight' because boxing is very watered down version of fighting.

oh and mma is far more profitable for betting. ive won 30k in one night betting mma.

 

boxing is widely used in the street, rather grappling is ineffective in a street fight.
In the street Randy Couture would not have been able to throw himself at Toney's leg, he would have been kicked in the face, something that cannot be done in the UFC, and if he had hugged him, he could have received blows to the temple or the nape, another thing prohibited in the UFC.

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Pride and early UFC actually allowed kicks to the head of a grounded opponent and it didnt do much to change the effectiveness of takedowns. Also there are other ways to take someone down than "throw yourself at someones leg". In fact Randy Coutures base was Greco Roman wrestling, a sport where only above the waist takedowns are legal.

Landing super deadly ninja one touch death moves on someone as they "hug" you is easier said than done, and 99% of the time wont play out as theorized because in reality everything happens much more quickly and you have much less control and balance than you anticipated. And on the small chance that you actually DO land one of those shots, its probably not gonna have the expected effect. Those kinds of shots were actually legal in early MMA, and just like with the kicks to grounded opponents, it didnt change much.