Is the UFC Better Than Boxing?

After watching the Ortiz Griffin fight the other day, I thought to myself, can the UFC gain the same reputation as boxing? I don't think so, but I do believe their fan base will only multiply as long as the sport is this violent. I'm one of those guys who have recently taken interest in this Ultimate Fighting Championship after becoming excessively tired of watching overpaid athletes whine about their teammates and minor injuries. The UFC has become so addicting to watch, that I now watch old fighting matches on sites like youtube. At first, I wasn't really much of a fan of UFC, but it eventually grew on me due to the fact that I have high interest in martial arts. The only sport I truly have some respect for would be boxing. Boxing is the only sport that I would rather watch than these cage fighting matches. Boxing is an art that requires skill and heart (same pretty much goes for most sports) plus the sport has produced some of the greatest athletes of the 20^th century.

While watching the cage matches, I also asked myself, how would former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson during his prime handle himself as a cage fighter? I'm assuming this question has been pondered by many by now. Personally, I believe he would dominate the sport since he already has the abilities of a great fighter even without the gloves. His personality is very intimidating and his speed is incredible. As far as UFC reaching the status of the NFL, I don't think it will ever happen because people in general will never get accustomed to their ultra violent style. It would just seem too bizarre to see someone get fixated on cage matches all year long. The NFL has a much larger fan base of women than UFC and it'll very likely stay that way forever as long as the NFL keeps producing likeable athletes. As far as boxing goes, that too will never wear out. Boxing is just too fun and very traditional unlike many sports today. Boxing will always be the sport of kings regardless of the mainstream popularity of UFC. Even though I really love watching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, UFC will never take over my interest in professional boxing or the NFL regardless how annoying some NFL players can be.

Statistics or personal information on athletes was provided by www.espn.com.