Arts Entertainments

Ultimate Fighter Vs. The Contender, which is better? Mixed martial arts or boxing?

Spike TV and ESPN are going head-to-head with their latest reality series releases. There may be more at stake than meets the eye. Boxing, which used to be the mainstay of ESPN, night sports, sports bars, casinos, Pay Per View and gambling, has lost a huge market share and audience due to the latest trend in fighting: boxing. mixed martial arts. The public that generally watches this programming is between 18 and 35 years old and it is highly coveted by many advertisers since they are a niche with high brand recognition and very profitable. With just a quick Google search, you can see the growing popularity of mixed martial arts and the opposite for boxing.

It all started with the arrival of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) in the early 90’s. Stars like the Gracies, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, Dan The Bear Severn, etc. they wrestled in no-holds-barred contests that were both grueling and exciting. The gore, injuries, and anti-fight crowd grew and resulted in multiple bans and the UFC having to resort to overseas tournaments nearly bankrupting the organization. Then, just like in boxing, safety rules were put in place and it was allowed back into the US. It was even approved by the Nevada Boxing Commission and they started holding fights in Las Vegas casinos. Then UFC president Dana White struck a deal with Spike TV for an ultimate reality fight show and the rest was history.

NBC at the same time launched The Contender. A Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray production that basically saw a bunch of boxers get eliminated or whittled down to one final winner. The first series of The Contender was basically awful and resulted in the show being cancelled. NBC then sold it to ESPN, who has since focused more on the fights and less on the fighters’ personal lives (big NBC mistake). The Contender has done better with ESPN, as you can see on Google, Myspace or EBay auctions. It’s still far behind Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighter.

The ultimate Fighter has more to offer than just uppercuts and body shots. It has also managed to include a very diverse group of fighters and some of the best fighters in history (like Forrest Griffin and Stephen Bonner, an incredible fight that capped the first series as a huge success). The Ultimate Fighter adds an element of the unknown as fighters from different backgrounds and fighting styles are matched up. Jiu Jitsu and submission wrestling against strikers, kickers, etc., the possibilities and excitement are limitless. There is more at stake in every fight, such as the question of which fighting style is superior.

Boxing in The Contender is basically about conditioning and experience. There is a long history with boxing, but as with baseball and the Barry Bonds steroid scandal, fighters like Mike Tyson and his misbehavior both in and out of the ring have lost their legend and appeal. There is also a dark cloud over boxing, as evidence and allegations of corruption, prepared and organized fights have recently been made public.

The Contender versus Ultimate Fighter is a great match in itself as there is so much more at stake. The future of boxing as we know it is in crisis. His fan base and popularity have dwindled in recent years and the UFC and its reality show The Ultimate Fighter are poised to take the majority of their audience. Just look at the number of illegal videos and downloads on YouTube for Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Fighting UFC. As soon as the popular UFC 61 fight between Royce Gracie and Matt Hughes was over, it was already on YouTube and elsewhere on Google, Myspace and Ebay. In Las Vegas, rumor has it that an acquisition or merger may be necessary in the very near future for boxing to survive. If they don’t do something soon, boxing will end up like the Brooklyn Dodgers, a distant memory.

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