UFC Set to Explode??? (in popularity, that is)
 

MSN had an interesting article today detailing just how big this sport is getting. Some quotes and link to article:

"A live fight special leading up to the show on Spike TV on Jan. 16 drew more viewers than a much-hyped Miami Heat-Los Angeles Lakers game on ESPN the same night."

"Yahoo even reported that its second-most requested topic in their search engines the weekend of Feb. 4-5 involved Ultimate Fighting, with "UFC results" among the most popular topics. Only that weekend's Super Bowl XL received more inquiries. "

"UFC 57 ... drew a sellout of 10,301 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for a paying gate of $3.3 million; another sellout of 2,000 watched the fight at the site on closed-circuit TV; and early pay-per view estimates are 350,000 buys"

Full Article:
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/5373408?GT1=7934

I still like prefer boxing

Boxing just needs to lose some of it's divisons and titles

It kind of sucks when there is 12 flyweight champions

watchout for Jason Von Flue!!

I missed the last PPV
how did the Canadians do?
I hope St.Pierre kicked ass with some ground and pound.
:thumbsup

I agree that there are to many divisions and championships in boxing, but I can barely sit through a fight without getting bored. Too one dimensional for me. I punch I run I punch I run, for 10 -12 rounds then let the corrupt judges decide who ran less. With MMA it is much less predictable.

Is ultimate fighting still banned in Illinois?

A long time ago they passed that law to look good when it was still considered a really extreme sport. It still is, but it's more mainstream now.

Canadians did great, actually - they went 2-3 (one fight was cancelled which likely would have made it 2-4 though)

Yes, St.Pierre won again. It was a decision, but clearly he was the better fighter, and a bit of an upset. Now he gets his 2nd title shot.

MMA is where it's at. I hope it catches onto more mainstream crowd :)

very cool, I thought he deserved the title shot in the first place.
Glad to hear he kicked ass.
:thumbsup

The UFC is getting HUGE.

Spike TV made a great investment. :2 cents:

i think its already peaked

With "The Ultimate Fighter 3" starting next month with a serious grudge between Shamrock and Ortiz, its only going to be buzzed about more. As the fighters get more well rounded (like St. Pierre) with backgrounds in mulitple styles/disciplines, it can only get better! Back in the day when we would rent the VHS tapes (yikes, remember?) it was so much more of a "Karate vs. Jiu Jitsu" - one style vs. another vibe. Now these guys are toast if they're not schooled in various forms. So much more interesting IMO!

It was more like a circus and because most fighters were so one-dimensional, few fights lived up to the hype. Thankfully, fighters now are much more well-rounded, regulations are in place to make it less of a bloodbath and the star power can't be denied.

http://bjj.org/tournaments/ufc33-200...tito-ortiz.jpg

Damn, this man is loaded with excitement!

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh Or maybe just "loaded" would suffice? He's looking a little bleary eyed there.