Boxing v. UFC

I'd consider myself a casual fan of both, which probably has much to do with my neutral rating. I've never spent a dime on either, but if there's nothing on TV I'll certainly watch either boxing or MMA. As far as I'm concerned, at the highest levels, both are athletic yet violent contests between well trained, disciplined fighters. I suppose I should consider both barbaric, yet I can get into a good boxing match or a good MMA match. I also confess to knowing only the biggest names in both, and to not knowing who any of the current champions are, although I suspect Brock Lesnar might still be the UFC Heavyweight champ, but I don't really know.

I've enjoyed both,and been really dissapointed by both too.A toss up.

BOXING-and it's boxing's fault that UFC is even thought of in the same category.Everything I've learned about it has been from boxing sites.UFC's competition is pro wrestling;pro wrestling wins because you get to see someone get hit in the head with a chair...and seriously,could anyone in the history of the world kick say...Andre the Giant's ass?Years ago,I think on the undercard of the Muhammad Ali-Antonio Inoki "fight"(Ali,if I remember right had a heart attack trying to change the rules before "the wrasslin' match of the century").Chuck Wepner-a pretty tough guy-and the heavyweight boxing champ of New Jersey was matched with Andre.Wepner hit Andre with his best shot-and his arm collapsed like an accordian.Andre picked him up and I think Wepner is still flyin'.

I love boxing, okay. It has a great long legacy of truely gifted champs and skilled fighters. Call me a wimp if you must seems kind of primative. The fights don't seem nearly as smooth as boxing in the sense of the rhythm of attack and retailation that is present in boxing. However UFC looks like two overgrown he-man apes that are trying to rape each other. Many younger people may like UFc over boxing because they think it's more macho. However I think it's a soulless and brain dead sport made for dumb rednecks and meatheads to watch while drinking budweiser.

My own training in the grapple arts of "Semper Fu" (The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program) leaves me a little bit more in the corner of mixed martial arts, I must admit.

For lovers of oily men with steroid or pituitary-challenged physiques. . .for those who simply think the ferocity of boxing simply isn't enough of blood and guts - you get UFC. A farce. . . It is true that Boxing is dead. . .it is true that the sport needs serious help - but I'll watch a clip of a great old fight any day of the week before I watch the dumb barbarity of UFC. It might be gayer than "Top Gun" (count the shirtless men and man-hugs in that spermfest) - the men crash together - exchange blows - and then roll on the ground grunting and panting in a manner that make female tennis players' wish for more subtlety of expression - hello? Obvious homoerotic expression, anyone?

Sometimes a picture, or in this case, a video, is worth a thousand words. It should be noted that Ray Mercer, the boxer in these videos, is in his 50's and saw his best days in the 1990's. Make sure you watch the all the videos, beginning with the first.

Boxing, undoubtedly. While I'd be the first to admit that boxing has its seedy, disreputable side, it also has moments of great gallantry, valor and dignity. I see none of those in UFC.

I have been a boxing fan since I was a kid, so maybe I am biased here. Is it just me, or is there something...um...homo-erotic about this whole UFC deal?

I enjoy them both. Nothing can take away boxing's place in the history of sports...the good, the bad and the ugly. But, I think that the UFC earns a closer look. Let's start by knocking off the auto-erotic shit, which is a super-imposed phobia...or a poor choice of words. These fighters are, for the most part, grapplers...not WWE rasslers. Most have trained in the Martial Arts since childhood and, not unlike old golfers, they have been given a way to earn a living. There is a bit of (diminishing) spill-over from WWE-type show biz...a few capes, weird hair, tattos and 'tudes. Like boxing, the objective is the same: to win as quickly and in the most punishing possible way. The closer look. All limbs come into play and with this, a broader range of athleticism. If this 'rivalry' were to include actual bouts between the two disciplines (and this has occured...a boxer against a man trained in mixed martial arts), it would (and wasn't) be a contest. The boxer wouldn't (and didn't) have a ch... Read more

Personally, as an individual who didn't have access to cable that much until the age of 16, I never really watched much boxing. However, I take nothing away from the sport as it is very entertaining to watch. I love the thrill of any fight, so long as there isn't any cheap-shotting, sucker punching or any other method of engagement that's considered cheating to me. I always knew of boxing, but didn't get into the UFC until about 2005 when they begin to air it on TNN(now known as Spike TV). I must say it grew on me rather quickly, and I became a huge fan of MMA. I wouldn't call it homo-erotic as i've seen someone mention on here, though through the eyes of a person that looks at things like that it can be understandable. It's simply another way to get down, like kickboxing, capoeira(did i spell that right?), karate, wrestling, etc. With that being said, I don't think either boxing or MMA are better than each other. They have each made their own name in their own right.

Call me old fashioned but I think that a fighting form should be judged by its combatants' ability to get the job done within the framework of an agreed upon set of rules that are derived from the notions of fairness and decency, not by a lack of the same. Boxing.