So, MMA/UFC wasn't a fad

I see the point, and it might have merit. Ultimately, again, time will answer all questions.

See, one of the reasons why I don't believe that the sport is a fad is because its rise hasn't been a straight rocket to the moon. Popularity has ebbed and flowed but it has never crashed through the floor. As I mentioned, I think the real test was when the first generation of stars got old. That test was passed. Last year was a big year. The year before not so much. It's a star driven business and McGregor and Rousey are lightening in a bottle (yeah, I never met a cliche I didn't like). Popularity will (probably) dip when they go away. Then when the next superstar comes along popularity will rise again. There has also been a phenomenon where as MMA becomes something people accept as a sport, and I get the sense that attitudes to MMA can often be split along generational lines, that when the superstars do hit they hit bigger than the last set did.

MMA is also a professional outlet for people from the non-boxing combat sports who traditionally had no professional outlet. So, while there is no state sponsored amateur program in the way there is in boxing you do have new talent being developed. For example, the US sent six freestyle wrestlers to the 2008 Olympics. Four of them later became MMA fighters. The men's judo heavyweight gold medal winner from that Olympics also became an MMA fighter.

 

I'll add to cran's list and say that the sport also gets a major pass on domestic violence. That is the scarlet letter in most major sports these days. But in the UFC, a guy like Anthony Johnson, who has been accused of domestic violence more than once, is one or two fights away from a belt.

 

I think that pass is the wrong word. The mainstream media don't care that much about MMA. So the sins of MMA fighters don't get as much coverage as the sins of other athletes.

 

Ray Rice gets kicked out of the league. Anthony Johnson gets a title shot.

 

How are the MMA reality shows doing? Those might be a leading indicator of interest in the sport.

I also wonder whether the business model of one dominant company tightly controlling the matches is a positive or negative for the continued growth.

 

Ray Rice got kicked out of the league not because the NFL genuinely cares about domestic violence (they way they initially handled the situation shows that) but because there was a video tape and it caused an avalanche of bad publicity that made the NFL look bad. If Anthony Johnson got caught on video tape knocking out his domestic partner then he'd be gone in a heartbeat. Not because the UFC care about domestic violence but because he'd get them lots of bad publicity.

Anthony Johnson's history with domestic violence is thus...

Anthony Johnson won't be suspended or cut by UFC for actions towards Florida woman

What is referred to as "this recent incident" in the quote above involved him getting into an argument with a woman at a gym and throwing her yoga mat across the room.

You might want to take the attitude that there is no smoke without fire, but Johnson hasn't gotten caught on video knocking a woman out cold. So, I don't think you can compare his treatment with that of Ray Rice. It's not like the NFL was dismissing on mass people with similar histories to Anthony Johnson.

14 Current NFL Players With a History of Domestic Violence - Chris Cook, San Francisco 49ers

 

The Ultimate Fighter begins it's 23rd season in April. They've also done several international versions of the show. I think when you total up the international versions and the US version there have been 32 seasons. It's a tired concept. I'm a hardcore combat sports fan and I struggle to watch it. It still gets churned out every year but while it was once the UFC's main promotional vehicle over the years it has tumbled in importance. Years ago the main promotional push for the biggest fights would be done by having both fighters coach opposing teams on the reality show. Last year when the UFC wanted to hype Jose Aldo/Conor McGregor they sent them on a 10 city world tour.

 

Do you like gladiator movies? Ever been to a Turkish prison?

 

Going back 10 years for a "I TOLD YOU SO!" might be the lamest post in SJ history.

 

It's really weird when they just crack each other in the shins.

 

Not that you really need this info but I feel inclined to give it, as a fan of the sport. They aren't cracking each other in the shins. The person kicking is likely aiming for his opponent's thigh to weaken the legs. A defense to that, second only to getting out of the way, is to raise your shin up in the kick's path. The short term sting of the shin-to-shin contact is better, in a fight at least, than the longer-term pain of a deep thigh bruise. Plus, it gets your opponent thinking twice about throwing a kick if he's only going to be met with a shin.

Also, it could result in this:

 

The man is my hero.