For those of you who don't know, the UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championships. It started as little more than a no-rules brawlfest, dominated by grapplers, and has developed into a multimillion dollar company with a stable full of some of the most amazing fighters you will ever see.
Last night, the UFC tried to break its 18-34-year-old male tough guy demographic and go mainstream. After a few exploratory and ultimately successful jabs with fights on Spike TV and a reality show, the UFC got Fox to host the promotion's equivalent of a cross-hook-takedown-bloody-KO-elbow-to-prone-opponent's face: the heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos. Both are skilled, aggressive, and have the stamina of a migrating blue whale. The fight was to be a classic - Velasquez' wrestling and cradio against Dos Santos' brutal, pinpoint precise hands and ever-evolving ground game.
I think my apprehension took out my excitement when I noticed that a full half hour of the UFC's debut on Fox would be devoted to slick, highly produced back story.
You see, in mixed martial arts (MMA), the slicker you try to be, the more painful your demise.
Sure, there are exceptions. Anthony Pettis' showtime kick, Georges St Pierre throwing a superman punch off his lead hand, Lyoto Machida's leaping front kick. But generally speaking, a good fighter relies on fundamentals, and a good fight production does, too.
So after being treated to beautifully shot, slyly edited, and frankly compelling footage of both fighters training, talking, and glowering threateningly at the camera, fans and newcomers to the sport of MMA watched two of the most elite heavyweights in the world go to war.
For 63 seconds.
That's how long it took for Dos Santos to connect with a right hand to Velasquez' temple, follow him down to the ground, and rain punishment on him until the ref stopped the action. Dos Santos upset Velaquez for the heavyweight crown, and the fight upset, well, me, and more importantly, UFC President Dana White.
As the AP reported, "White chose the two fearsome fighters for his Fox debut because of the high potential for a stoppage victory -- Velasquez and Dos Santos had ended nearly all of their fights by early stoppage. But White was clearly not thrilled with just how quickly that end arrived, criticizing Velasquez’s decision to stand and fight with Dos Santos, one of the best boxers in M.M.A."
Twitter, which is an important tool for fans to voice grievances with judges, fighters' strategies, ticket prices, etc., reflected some negativity as well. Below are two quotes that summed up what a lot of people were feeling.
"Wow.. Cain Velasquez just got his ass whooped the 1st round.. todays ufc heavyweight chamionship fight was a#disappointment"
"Cain Velasquez vs JDS...what a disappointment."
A quick KO is not what the the UFC needed in order to attract fans and legitimacy. I've been watching fights - and fighting - for an embarrassing number of years, and while participants and spectators alike enjoy a good KO, they like to work for it. Imagine eating the most delicious dish you've ever had without chewing - the taste is there, but not the experience. That's what a first round KO is like. (I could also make comparisons to bedroom mishaps, but that's just crass.)
In an odd way, the event might help the UFC get licensed in New York. After all, a quick KO yields little blood and seems much less like institutionalized ferocity than a drawn-out 5 round fight, and opponents to the promotion and its sport tend to be averse to its brutality. But as far as a positive, lasting introduction to a new group of people and potential fans (and consumers) goes?
My guess is that people who were testing the waters with the UFC on Fox will say to themselves, "Oh, that's what the hype is all about. That was pretty cool."
And 63 seconds later, they'll be back to talking about football, the NBA lock-out, the Pacquiao-Marquez fight, or, God help them, politics.
Last night, the UFC tried to break its 18-34-year-old male tough guy demographic and go mainstream. After a few exploratory and ultimately successful jabs with fights on Spike TV and a reality show, the UFC got Fox to host the promotion's equivalent of a cross-hook-takedown-bloody-KO-elbow-to-prone-opponent's face: the heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos. Both are skilled, aggressive, and have the stamina of a migrating blue whale. The fight was to be a classic - Velasquez' wrestling and cradio against Dos Santos' brutal, pinpoint precise hands and ever-evolving ground game.
I think my apprehension took out my excitement when I noticed that a full half hour of the UFC's debut on Fox would be devoted to slick, highly produced back story.
You see, in mixed martial arts (MMA), the slicker you try to be, the more painful your demise.
Sure, there are exceptions. Anthony Pettis' showtime kick, Georges St Pierre throwing a superman punch off his lead hand, Lyoto Machida's leaping front kick. But generally speaking, a good fighter relies on fundamentals, and a good fight production does, too.
So after being treated to beautifully shot, slyly edited, and frankly compelling footage of both fighters training, talking, and glowering threateningly at the camera, fans and newcomers to the sport of MMA watched two of the most elite heavyweights in the world go to war.
For 63 seconds.
That's how long it took for Dos Santos to connect with a right hand to Velasquez' temple, follow him down to the ground, and rain punishment on him until the ref stopped the action. Dos Santos upset Velaquez for the heavyweight crown, and the fight upset, well, me, and more importantly, UFC President Dana White.
As the AP reported, "White chose the two fearsome fighters for his Fox debut because of the high potential for a stoppage victory -- Velasquez and Dos Santos had ended nearly all of their fights by early stoppage. But White was clearly not thrilled with just how quickly that end arrived, criticizing Velasquez’s decision to stand and fight with Dos Santos, one of the best boxers in M.M.A."
Twitter, which is an important tool for fans to voice grievances with judges, fighters' strategies, ticket prices, etc., reflected some negativity as well. Below are two quotes that summed up what a lot of people were feeling.
"Wow.. Cain Velasquez just got his ass whooped the 1st round.. todays ufc heavyweight chamionship fight was a
"Cain Velasquez vs JDS...what a disappointment."
A quick KO is not what the the UFC needed in order to attract fans and legitimacy. I've been watching fights - and fighting - for an embarrassing number of years, and while participants and spectators alike enjoy a good KO, they like to work for it. Imagine eating the most delicious dish you've ever had without chewing - the taste is there, but not the experience. That's what a first round KO is like. (I could also make comparisons to bedroom mishaps, but that's just crass.)
In an odd way, the event might help the UFC get licensed in New York. After all, a quick KO yields little blood and seems much less like institutionalized ferocity than a drawn-out 5 round fight, and opponents to the promotion and its sport tend to be averse to its brutality. But as far as a positive, lasting introduction to a new group of people and potential fans (and consumers) goes?
My guess is that people who were testing the waters with the UFC on Fox will say to themselves, "Oh, that's what the hype is all about. That was pretty cool."
And 63 seconds later, they'll be back to talking about football, the NBA lock-out, the Pacquiao-Marquez fight, or, God help them, politics.
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