Hating Convention: For Those MMA Fans Who Reject the Mainstream
By Josh Stein on Mar 08, 2008
There’s always going to be a large movement of fans (not just of fighting, but of anything) who reject the conventional and the mainstream. Those guys are generally credited with being the first MMA fans; guys who turned their backs on professional boxing and wrestling in order to find something new, something different, something off-beat.
The problem is, now the UFC has become so mainstream, so cultured that the reason they started following it to begin with no longer carries any weight. Where do these fans go?
They can’t go to Pride, since it no longer exists. (many left for Pride after the first TUF season, but they’re now looking for somewhere else to go)
They can’t go to the IFL, because, let’s face it, the IFL has worked way to hard to pull itself into the mainstream.
They can’t go to the WEC, because it follows that same formula as the UFC, only with lighter weight classes. (And, on top of that, many refuse to support Zuffa entirely, because of some of its contractual issues with its fighters)
They can’t go Japan, because they know that those organization are unstable. (and the disillusionment has only furthered itself with Fedor’s free-agency)
They won’t go to Elite XC because, besides about 4 fighters, the whole thing is a gimmick show (these are the fans who have been following the sport long enough to know that Kimbo Slice is not legit).
These guys are stuck in limbo, wandering back and forth between organizations. They watch UFC events because their friends (most of whom they got into the sport) are really excited to watch Anderson Silva (who is not, as many have said, the Mike Tyson if MMA, since he doesn’t commit rape and he has all of his teeth) and Rampage.
I wish I could say that the solution was simple, or that an answer would present itself, but the fact is I don’t think that’s the case. I’ve been out looking for other, exciting organizations for a long time. I’ve watched alot of K-1 (very exciting, but I miss the grappler) and have turned to Cage Rage to get some of my fix. Whether an underground titan will emerge soon, I don’t know, but I hope that when it does, these fans will find it, so that the UFC doesn’t just squash it with it’s giant checkbook.
Filed Under: MMA in Media • Opinion
Loading ...
Perfect article about something that is becoming so real.
I got into MMA at UFC 5 and have followed the sport ever since. Since UFC began to become ever popular, Pride became my playground. Even in the last days of Pride, there still wasn’t a casual fan who had even heard of it.
That being said, Kimbo has multiplied the problem ten-fold. There are all these ignorant spastics who think he is the greatest fighter of all time. Don’t get me started on that.
I’m a little younger than you are, Chris, and I got into the sport at UFC 36, but that was still long before it had the mainstream coverage it does now, just as it was starting to pick up steam.
I’m glad the point of the article got across.
I’ve been talking about putting together a piece on Kimbo and what exactly my problem with him is, and now that you bring it up, maybe I’ll do that. (though I may wait until his next fight, so the posting is more timely)
I do want to add, though, that my problem isn’t with the fact that it’s mainstream, it’s the way its changed to accomodate mainstream fans, and I’m not sure how well that comes across.
I agree, I don’t like the way it has been pushed in front of the mainstream fans, but I realize that it is best for the sport. The entire process, especially when the CBS/EliteXC era starts, is going to be tough.
The thing that differentiates MMA fighting from other trends is that the organization that started it all is still at the top and going strong. Unlike many other mainstream fads where the organization or the individual who starts the fad has fallen and a bunch of smaller groups pop up to restart the culture (i.e. punk music), the UFC is still at the top.
It’s hard to just start up an organization and have the best guys when you’re not the only company out there. Sure, there was Pride back when the UFC was purchased by Zuffa, but the two organizations were able to split the best guys back then. Now, other bigger organizations like HDNet, IFL, and EliteXC are finding ways to pay fighters a decent sum of money for a nights worth of entertainment while putting these fights on regular television.