UFC vs. Boxing: Is Mixed Martial Arts Taking Over? | Thebigtip

A question being asked more and more these day by young and old. Is MMA taking over Boxing? This opinion is brought to you courtesy of Jonathan R.R. Clarke @ Bleacher Report

Last night, in our smoky bar room, my brother and I had a very in-depth argument with our father. My dad is a huge boxing fan; he’s got a library of the greatest boxers' entire careers on VHS and DVD – from Marciano to Ali, Duran to Leonard and Lamotta to Calzaghe. Whilst me and my brother have a collection of UFC DVD’s, from UFC 1 through to UFC 53, from the classic Gracie fights to the career boxsets of Georges St.Pierre and Anderson Silva. So the question was asked, is boxing now ‘archaic’ and in the shadow of Mixed Martial Arts? And would the likes of Cain Velasquez and Shane Carwin be able to adapt to Boxing better than David Haye or Floyd Mayweather could to the UFC?

It’s a science. It’s "beautiful to watch. It’s almost like ballet." These are all arguments that my dad placed forth for Boxing to be the supreme fighting sport. However, such is his blinkered view of the situation, such is the fact that he has never given Mixed Martial Arts a chance and claimed it was "boring" because the fighters were on the floor in a clinch, he has little substance with which he can lay his argument on.

Mixed Martial Arts can be equally as beautiful to watch if you know and understand the complexities of Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling AND boxing. The fact that UFC fighters train in boxing as well as all of the other martial arts is the main principle of my argument. Many UFC fighters are very capable boxers who train with professionals to improve their skills.

Georges St.Pierre has recently been seen training with Pacquiao and Freddie Roach and we all witnessed how that benefited him at UFC 124 against Koscheck. Carwin’s punches and ferociousness are qualities the boxing world hasn’t seen since Mike Tyson. James Toney recently fought in the UFC against Randy Couture and was, frankly, embarrassed. His complete lack of knowledge once he was on the ground was on show to thousands, as Randy choked him out within two minutes of round one. This was a predictable outcome because (as we all know) a boxer is very restricted with his skills compared to a mixed martial artist.

But could (or would) a mixed martial artist be a successful boxer?

The money in boxing is unquestionably higher than it is in the UFC/Mixed Martial Arts industry. The top boxers can get paid multi-millions of dollars per fight, whilst top UFC fighters get paid a mere couple of hundred thousand. Now, a couple of hundred thousand is by no means an economical living, but compared to boxing, it’s relatively nothing.

As the UFC grows in popularity and boxing becomes a relic of the past, we will see this gap in financial support dwindle, but for the time being, why don’t capable fighters in the UFC (by which I mean strong boxers) convert their skills to Boxing? Even just ONE fight in boxing would earn millions more than in the UFC organization would ever pay. And, at the end of the day, money IS everything.

Except money isn’t everything is it?

Not for the fighters in the UFC. Their love for the sport, the fans and the Mixed Martial Arts training means far more to them than a hefty wage packet. This was my argument that seemed to confuse my dad. As a businessman, he couldn’t understand how money wasn’t the main attraction. Sportsmen, I mean true sportsmen, would sooner win trophies and medals than have millions in the bank. The best sportsmen have both of course, but the ones with a true sporting heart would sacrifice money and all for their sport.

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