January 6, 2005 -- <!--start bodytext-->THE rabble-rousing pres ident of the Ultimate Fighting Championship is slapping boxing aficionado Sylvester Stallone across the face with a $5 million challenge.
Dana White, who oversees the mixed martial arts fighting league and its new Spike TV reality show, "The Ultimate Fighter," wants the winner of his series to fight the winner of Stallone's boxing show, "The Contender."
"Boxing is in shambles," White told The Post yesterday. "Back in the day, whoever the heavyweight champ was, was considered the baddest man on the planet, and that's just not the case anymore — not by a long shot — and we're willing to put our money where our mouth is."
"...So what happens in the event they do accept? MMA fighters get painted as bullies, this is really what we want the mainstream public to view us as!!!"
Well, if they were in the same weight i don't see why it would be a bad thing. A lot of hype could be generated from something like this. I think it would be great for boxing fans to see that mma really is that much more superior than just standing there and punching each other in the head until one guy falls over. Hell, most people out there still think boxers could beat up mma fighters in a street fight and we all know that ain't true.
Where did it say anything about 147 pounds vs. 187 pounds or whatever...I'm sure it would be of equal sizes or even possibly an MMA guy fighting a heavier boxer which he could take down and neutralize as that would be much more impressive and it would probably take the offer of a lighter MMA fighter fighting a larger boxer in order to get some boxer to take the fight. I would bet the show has received great pre-launch feedback to give him the confidence to make this wager, althouhg not necessarily because this proposal has benn made before, remember when Franki Warren the boxing manager in England was putting down NHB fighting over in the UK.
As usaul we have supposed MMA supporters on this site putting down the promoters of our sport....I love boxing but its obvious to everyone how far down it has gone, I don't even hardly ever buy boxing PPV's anymore because of the past ripoffs and disapointments...I miss the old days when all the top fighters fought each other and didn't just fighter tomota cans to milk money out of the fans like they do now....its become disgusting
And someone remind the idiot that Dana din't lose the 250K cause Chuck didn't fight Vanderlei as he didn't get that far....another classic case of false info spewed as if its gospel....
The reality show will rock and be more popular than the boxing one if its anything like the other lame boxing reality show.......there is a lot more to the MMA training and the fighters are generally intellectual giants compared to most boxers....much more intelligence and thinking required to be a successfull MMA fighter
" Where did it say anything about 147 pounds vs. 187 pounds or whatever..."
Fightsfan, listen quickly before my posts get removed again for supporting boxing. The contender profiles 147 pound fighters, the Ultimate Fighter profiles 185 pound fighters, it's that simple.
"And someone remind the idiot that Dana din't lose the 250K cause Chuck didn't fight Vanderlei as he didn't get that far....another classic case of false info spewed as if its gospel.... "
I thought he put up $250K stating that chuck would win the tournament, not just beat Vanderlei.
"think it would be great for boxing fans to see that mma really is that much more superior than just standing there and punching each other in the head until one guy falls over. Hell, most people out there still think boxers could beat up mma fighters in a street fight and we all know that ain't true. "
"Anybody can beat a boxer."
"**ANY** NHB/MMA fighter would make short work of **ANY* one-deminsional boxer without thinking twice about it."
While I agree that overall MMA athletes would definitely have an advantage, the above statements are all stupid. There has never been a fight with a top MMA fighter vs. a TOP boxer. I think Bernard Hopkins, Oscar D, and even Gatti would be able to maul a lot of MMA fighters.
What rules does Dana expect the fight to be under. Obviously, dana would'nt want it to be a boxing rule and the boxers wouldnt want it to be in MMA rule. Also the weight issue is another. TUF have 205 lbr and 185lbr fighters while Contenders have 147lbr(I believe)