Mixed Martial Arts Breaks in to the Mainstream

In recent years, much to the delight of hardcore Mixed Martial Arts fans, this once underground sport has exploded on to the mainstream sports scene.With the ingenuity of promoters like Dana White of the UFC, who I personally feel was the driving force behind the recent success of MMA, the sport is getting the exposure it once lacked. New fans and events are cropping up around every corner, fueling the sports growth at a pace unheard of by any other sport in history.

The Ultimate Fighter reality series, in my opinion was the catalyst for a large percentage of the popularity we are seeing today in the sport. The UFC and Spike TV, teamed up to bring the sport to cable television for the first time in the sports history, which for many years had been relegated to Pay Per View events only. Together, they inked a deal that included both the reality series and regular fight card events. The premise of the reality series, was to give lesser known fighters a chance at winning a UFC fight contract. Through the duration of the show, the fighters live together, train together, form teams and fight one another weekly until they are left with four fighters vying for the chance to fight live for the contact. The Ultimate Fighter, gave viewers the chance to see just how dedicated theses individuals were to their sport and how unparalleled their athleticism is. It also gave viewers a window into their lives, proving that these men are not just fighters, but they are family men, intellectuals and all around decent individuals. This show became a phenomenon, and catapulted these once unknown fighters instantly into the spotlight complete with instant fans and fame. Respectively, Fight Night Live was an instant success, featuring many of the cast members from the show and drawing in millions of viewers.

Drawing from the success of the UFC and Spike, many other events are inking their own television deals. In fact, for the first time in the sports history you can now watch fights on network television. The MY network has teamed up with the International Fighting League, to bring a fights to network television on a weekly basis. Every Monday night 8pm to 10pm EST, the IFL airs a regular fight card, complete with a behind the scenes look at the fighters everyday lives and their training regimens. The IFL is based around a team format with twelve teams comprised of five fighters and a coach. IFL, is formatted similar to many mainstream sports consisting of a regular and post season. Competitions, are based on a best of five series between two teams, with the teams with the best records advancing to the post season. What is most exciting about the IFL, is fighters like Frank Shamrock, Renzo Gracie, Pat Miletich, Bas Rutten, Ken Shamrock, Don Frye, Carlos Newton, Marco Ruas, Matt Lindland, Igor Zinoviev and Ken Yasuda, coming forward to coach these teams. These are some of the biggest names in the sport, and it's very exciting to see them back in the lime light.

With the emergence of new events like Elite XC, the continuous growth of the sport is inevitable. Elite XC, is a brand new organization that has partnered with Showtime to bring live events to this premium channel. The Elite XC debut February 10th was anything but amateur. The fight card was filled with the whose who of mixed martial arts and the main event between Frank Shamrock and Renzo Gracie ended in a tense controversy. Elite XC, is also one of the only organizations to televise fights with women, which is long over due in this male dominated sport. Another plus to Ellite XC, is that On Demand for most cable companies allows you to re-watch the fight card and pre-coverage for several weeks following the events.

Bodog, has also thrown their hat into the fighting game teaming up with the MFC to bring the fans of mixed martial arts a new series of tournaments, TV shows, and Pay Per View events. Bodog fights air on the ION network Tuesday and Saturday nights, airing fights from all over the world. Bodog on ION, has men and women fighters, fighting for spots in the larger Pay Per View Tournaments Bodog hosts. They have some pretty well known names on their roster as well, including Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Lindland, who will be fighting on the April 14th Pay Per View event.

There are many other fighting organizations worldwide.With organizations like the UFC, IFL, Elite XC, and Bodog airing their fights on cable and network television the fan base is increasing by the day, giving other fighters and other organizations a larger potential for growth in the sport. Mixed martial arts, is finally being seen for what it truly is an exciting sport, with rules, regulations and true athletes.