Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the recent lack action and…fighting in recent UFC PPVs? It seems to me with the stakes and notoriety being so high, you are getting fights such as Koscheck v. Paul Daley, winner to face GSP. A fight in which Kos basically took Daley to the ground, in a weak ground and pound effort. An effort that resulted in little damage to either fighter. With the stakes so high, you saw a fighter in Kos who knew what he had to do to win….not entertain. Of course this was a strategy that MMA fans look at and say was a smart fight but has to admit it was boring and weak.
This fight was followed up by a fight between Shogun and Machida, which was a mirror of their first fight until the KO. With this being a decent fight, it was overshadowed by the terrible Kos v Daley and poor, old, Kimbo performance.
The Rampage v. Evans PPV was also another weak effort. Obviously Rampage’s head was in Hollywood and Evans did quick punching thing, but for all the hype, the fight didn’t deliver at all, leaving many people who bought the fight with a sour taste in their mouths. Combine some of these over-hyped fights with the Anderson Silva debacle, and you are suddenly heading in the right direction and Dana White knows this….Bring in UFC 115 and 116…
UFC 115 showcased two fighters that have traditionally “brought it” when they are on a fight card. Lidell and Cro Cop were two of the most popular fighters in the past, but are aging. Lidell was outclassed against a fighter that he would have had his way with when he was in his prime…have we seen this story before in boxing….can you say Holyfield? Anyway other than the main event, the fight card was forgettable. At this point Dana White needs to put together a big fight card in a hurry. Bring in UFC 116…All I will say about this PPV is that it was obvious it was a PPV full of brawler style fighters, which almost guarantees a pretty good fight night, and it was…
UFC threw super card after super card at the fight fans, but are now finding it hard to remain at that level, and slowly finding out they can’t. While there are big fights on the horizon, and many other MMA companies sparking up all over, what is the future of MMA? UFC? That remains to be written…
While most of the fight community is focused on MMA, it has sparked a renewed interest in boxing. If you have tuned into Friday Night Fights during the first part of the year, you would have seen some tremendous fights involving young hungry fighters from all over the world, much more exciting than the average MMA fight I have seen recently.
Let us look at some recent boxing events that have taken place in the same time frame I have given for UFC. HBO alone had some of the best fights of this year to date, with some big names getting after it. Fights ending in KO’s such as Gamboa v. Mtagwa, Maidana v Cayo, not to mention great KO’s by some of the younger lesser known fighters. Also great all around fights such as the Pac Man v. Clottey fight, which was a showcase of Paquiao’s skills on a big stage. Great stoppages such as Khan v. Malignaggi, Pavlik v. Martinez. Mosley showing great courage and making a game fight with the far superior Mayweather. You also can’t forget the fight at Yankee Stadium where Foreman put it on the line against Cotto. Dramatic fight that showed the heart of a warrior in Foreman, and the ferocity of a lion in Cotto. This is just the HBO productions!!!! Boxing is putting some up some of its best fights this year, which is surely to be capped off with a Mayweather v Pac Man fight for supremacy. If you are growing tired of your MMA fights being weak and boring, with fighters that are playing it safe, rather than putting it all on the line and perform such as Paquiao, Mayweather, Foreman, Cotto, and Gamboa, then just turn on some boxing this coming weekend…..you will not be disappointed…Be sure to check out Friday Night Fights this weekend as there are some great matchups there, and definitely check out Showtime’s Boxing After Dark this Saturday when two unbeatens face. These are hungry young fighters, the next generation of boxers if you will, and they are ready to perform. UFC: Weak?? BOXING: STRONG?? you decide for yourself…….
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