Those of us fight fanatics out there that live and breathe this sport, just think about how much it has evolved since the bare knuckle days of the early UFC. That was a rare time in which you would ever see a 430 pound sumo wrestler, Teila Tuli, fight a 216 pound Savate & Kyokushin Karate expert, Gerard Gordeau (UFC 1, 1993). As much as the Gracie philosophy disagrees with the added rules, and elimination of the competition in which opponents fight until there is only one man left, “The Ultimate Fighter,” it was the only way for the sport to survive in the United States. In addition, as incredibly bad ass as these days were, it just isn’t good for business. It also shortens the fighter’s career substantially, when you consider the aftermath of fighting multiple times in one night versus fighting once every three to five months.
The success of The Ultimate Fighter show was ultimately what saved the UFC from utter extinction. It gave the viewers an opportunity to observe these guys in a different light. Sure, you have your maniacs like Chris Leben, (who we love anyway) but than you have someone like Kenny Florian, who has embraced the traditional, martial arts spirit. The differences in the personalities of this group were like night and day. Making a uniform judgment about what a fighter is supposed to be or act like becomes stupid and ignorant. They are all unique in their own way. The only standard assessment that I will make is that they are all warriors.
What’s Ahead for The UFC?
As the popularity of this sport keeps increasing, and the UFC, being the industries top dog, how far can all of this really go? I know I would love to see these MMA fighters making the kind of money that football players make. However, a couple of things must happen first. Many will argue that the only way this sport will ever reach its true potential is if it does not make the same mistake as boxing, meaning it needs one individually recognized sanctioning body. Obviously, UFC has proven more than any other MMA organization that they are equipped to do it. Their biggest competitor right now is Affliction, which has promoted only 1 event so far, “Affliction: Banned.” They do have the financial backing of Donald Trump, though White and the Lorenzo’s have not hesitated to fight back. They aired a special, free event on the same date (July 19, 2008) to counter their new competitor. A couple of posts ago, I mentioned Fedor Emelianenko’s affiliation with Affliction, who is believed by many to be the toughest heavyweight MMA fighter in the world. Though, I won’t deny that strong possibility, overall; UFC is still MMA’s fearless leader.
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