'[The Ultimate Fighting Championship] will be the biggest sport in the world by 2020,' said UFC President Dana White in a press conference late in 2009.
That's a pretty bold statement by a very bold individual. Realistically, does White really think the UFC is going to one day be bigger than the National Football League in this country?
He absolutely does.
While I'm not prepared to go that far, I do think that mixed martial arts is on the rise and, in terms of combat sports, has moved ahead of boxing as the top dog in America.
On July 11, 2009, UFC generated 1.72 million pay per view buys with UFC 100. For White, his Super Bowl had arrived.
The biggest event in boxing was on Nov. 14, 2009, when one of the sports' headliners, Manny Pacquiao, beat Miguel Cotto. The final number was 1.25 million buys which fell just short of the UFC by less than 50,000 buys.
Excitement and length are two reasons the sport of mixed martial arts has taken off as much as it has the past few years.
The fights are usually quick, as a bout consists of three five-minute rounds with championship matches lasting five rounds. Smaller gloves that have less padding result in more knockouts and add greater excitement overall.
Different forms of martial arts such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, wrestling, muay-tai and kickboxing enhance the sport even more. 'The Octagon' makes for an interesting environment where anything can happen inside the caged ring.
Also, the people involved in the UFC, such as White, matchmaker Joe Silva and the ownership combination of brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, know what they're doing. The UFC attracts only the best fighters in the world.
If the fans want to see a fight, White and company do anything and everything to make it happen.
Boxing, on the other hand, tends to delay its main events. Fans across the world have been anxiously waiting for the promised Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather super fight. The fight looked to be a 'go' before both camps, in my opinion, sabotaged the fight for unknown reasons.
No one can force two guys to fight in boxing, but that isn't the case in the UFC.
The international component of the UFC also plays a crucial role in the popularity of the sport. The NFL has just recently started to play games in different countries, possibly following the blueprint set forth by the UFC dating all the way back to 1997.
But the question remains, how popular will this sport be in the United States 10 years from now?
I don't think we have seen even a glimpse of how popular the sport will become, but taking over the top spot seems unlikely.
To take control of the sports landscape in this country seems a bit too lofty of a goal, even for White, a man who is known for making crazy promises and following through with them.
In the meantime, let's all just enjoy being a part of the defining moments of a sport that hopefully will reach the potential its' fan base hopes for.
E-mail: matt.parrino@ubspectrum.com
