When I attended one of the first Zuffa-run UFCs I thought about what it would be like if MMA got so huge in America that you could be sitting at home and just be able to have a channel or channels where you'd have fights being shown constantly. Also training footage, news, interviews etc. To have the sport take off to the point where it became like football and boxing. Just constant media coverage and the ability to be entertained by it more than just once every couple months.
As I sit here now Im watching DREAM and BJJ tourney highlights on the comp, and flipping between UFC on Spike and WEC on VS. Its not yet at the level I was thinking about, and theres certainly some significant negatives about going "mainstream" But it flat out amazes me to sit back and think where MMA is now compared to when I was a little kid and youd have a UFC hyped up for months in advance and then be talking about it for months afterwards. Now we almost complain about having to drop the money pretty much every other week for a show.
The next 5-10 years should be a very exciting time to see where the sport goes.
"and flipping between UFC on Spike and WEC on VS."
Thanks for the heads-up...lol
And you are correct.
I remember hating the ending to the last fight of the night during a UFC because i knew it'd be 3 months until another one.
"I remember hating the ending to the last fight of the night during a UFC because i knew it'd be 3 months until another one."
Yup. One of the biggest things I miss is the hype before a UFC. Youd hear rumors of who they were bringing in and you really just had no idea what to expect. It was a treat but nobod realized it at the time.
How about Coleman and Randleman doing takedown drills to try and appease the crowd after nobody would fight Coleman?
The only way to see all the shit going on outside of UFC was to tape trade. And these were shitty VHS copies of copies most of the time. And sometimes youd get totally random shit like Royce working out with 300lb wrestlers or Kerr gouging people in Brazil.
The Pride GP being the biggest deal ever. Staying up all night to find out the results live. And then it being on PPV for the first time ever.
Hallman taking Hughes out in the rematch during a Japan show. Dead silence as he cut through him in a virtual repeat of the first fight.
Ricco's meteoric rise and quick fall in the UFC. Just manhandled whoever they gave him then worked Randy out of gas for the win.
Its impossible imo for new fans to grasp some of that stuff because every week you see new "epic" shit. It just becomes overload.
I remember calling the UFC Hotline( in the mid/late 90's), which was generally a tape recorded message of Bruce Beck updating the participants for the next show, and having Art Davie actually answer the phone and ask what info i needed.lol
I told him I was just wondering if any new names had been added and he told me that Carlos Barreto was fighting along with Mark Kerr. I was giddy! We ended up talking for 15 minutes and i couldn't help but dig the guy.
Times sure have changed.
I do kind of miss the days of dissecting every fight on the card for weeks in advance...I thought we had made the 'big time' when Tito fought Elvis at the meadowlands.. BJ Penn was on that card, Josh Barnett...Ricco Rodrigez v. Andre ..what the hell, here is the full card from that night...
Lightweight Bout: Tony DeSouza vs. Paul Rodriguez
DeSouza wins by submission (choke) at 1:05 of the first round.
Heavyweight Bout: Ricco Rodriguez vs. Andrei Arlovski
Rodriguez wins by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes) at 1:23 of the third round.
Light Heavyweight Bout: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Yuki Kondo
Matyushenko wins by unanimous decision at 15:00.
Lightweight Bout: Caol Uno vs. Fabiano Iha
Uno wins by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes) at 1:48 of the first round.
Welterweight Bout: Pat Miletich vs. Shonie Carter
Miletich wins by KO (kick) at 2:42 of the second round.
Heavyweight Bout: Josh Barnett vs. Semmy Schilt
Barnett wins by submission (armbar) at 4:21 of the first round.
Lightweight Bout: B.J. Penn vs. Din Thomas
Penn wins by TKO (referee stoppage due to strikes) at 2:42 of the first round.
Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: Tito Ortiz vs. Elvis Sinosic
Ortiz wins the new UFC Light Heavyweight Championship by TKO (doctor stoppage due to cut) at 3:32 of the first round.
" I remember calling the UFC Hotline( in the mid/late 90's), which was generally a tape recorded message of Bruce Beck updating the participants for the next show, and having Art Davie actually answer the phone and ask what info i needed.lol"
Amazing, lol. Davie was there to cater to your need for info, I love it.
TJ I was at that show. Semmy/Barnett was a violent fight. 31 Rizzo/Couture was a great event as well.
I was there as well HELWIG... we grilled london broil and had nice fresh rolls from Rockland bakery, fresh mozz, and home grown tomatoes at our tail gate. And rolling rock long necks that had been in the cooler all day.
Im with you on everything up until the booze.
I remember that Din gave an interview where he said "He's from Hawaii and he cant beat me!" After the fight ended some loud slob next to me screamed "He's from Hawaii and he killed you!"
And then he looked at me like he was a real clever bird.
I knew you would like the sammiches! Are you going to Miami Mikes on Fri?
RE: Being "almost there"
I think the first time the UFC gets a live event on ESPN or a network station, we will finally 'arrive'.
The sport has gained so much so fast. But I feel like that one last step is going to be the final 'push' that cements the UFC as mainstream.
UFC on Spike is great, but not quite the thing.
EXC or Strikeforce on network is good but not quite the thing.
The UFC live on network or ESPN will finally push MMA onto every sports page. We are still a niche market (although a very big one now), but this would forever push us out of the niche market into the mainstream. After you've been on ESPN you generally are mainstream. Hell, bowling has guys making craploads of money a year because they finally got on ESPN semi-regularly. Even at odd hours, being on ESPN lets bowling be WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY bigger than it ever had been before.
The UFC is going to be bigger than bowling, obviously. But the same logic applies.
Yep, look what ESPN has done for poker. I would have never thought I'd actually sit down and watch other people play poker just 5-6 years ago.
"The next 5-10 years should be a very exciting time to see where the sport goes."
TNTraw
TTT for Helwig, one hell of a guy!!!
TTT for MMA more often.
I was just at the Brawl @ Bourbon St. 2nite.
I love this sport.
omg i hope there is such a channel soon!
"Are you going to Miami Mikes on Fri?"
Where is it on RT 10? Past the gym or going the other way?
HELWIG - "Are you going to Miami Mikes on Fri?"
Where is it on RT 10? Past the gym or going the other way?
I am not sure, I will find out tonight. you going to pajama wrestling tonight? Work on your super sporty sweet upside down cross spider qward?
Ill see you at gizzard. Im just so bad with directions I dont need an adventure.
I could see stopping by if I knew where on Rt 10 it was.