Thread: UFC on Fox 5
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Old 12-09-2012, 09:47 PM   #142
Next Big Thing
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by James Steele View Post
Justifying bad behavior with other people's bad behavior is retarded. All that kind of punk-ass shit is why MMA is going to struggle with truly being mainstream and getting the "respect" you think it deserves from the mass media.
The idea that MMA will ever be truly mainstream or behavior like that of Nate Diaz will keep it from being mainstream is a bit off.

First of all, combat sports in general were never "mainstream." Boxing in its heyday was still based around the idea of it being an "event" as opposed to something fans tuned in every week to see. People paid attention to two or three pay per views a year and the rest of the time it went pretty much unnoticed by the general public and mass media.

Go back and look at the stars of the 80s and 90s in boxing and you will probably be able to count on one hand the number of true draws. Dana and the UFC are trying to fight a trend that they can't overcome. They've got three or four guys who will do at least half a million buys guaranteed and the rest are filler, just like boxing's biggest draws were essentially De La Hoya, Tyson and Holyfield in the 90s and maybe Roy Jones Jr. to a lesser extent.

I don't think Nate Diaz's behavior is what will ultimately keep the sport back either. In fact, having someone like him or his brother is good because at the end of the day, polarizing guys are better draws. GSP, Jones, Diaz are all great draws because people either love them or hate them and they're all different in terms of their personalities. A roster full of dudes flipping the bird wouldn't be good for promotions, but neither would a roster full of babyfaces. This Henderson/Diaz matchup was the perfect dichotomy because if you didn't care for the dude flipping the bird, you could cheer for the good Christian son of a Korean immigrant who also happens to be the champion.

Also, the biggest draws in the history of boxing and combat sports in general are Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Mike Tyson. Not exactly choir boys inside or outside of the ring, yet Mayweather does Wrestlemania numbers every time he fights.
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