On Saturday, mixed martial arts (http://www.mmaonline.com) finally had its opportunity to appear on prime-time network television. While the show may have been a ratings success in some quarters, was it indeed a long-term success for the sport itself As a guardian of the sport's legacy, and its future as a viable attraction, MMAMemories.com (http://www.mmamemories.com/) feels an obligation to delve into the issue.
The general public seems to have become infatuated with street brawler Kimbo Slice (http://www.mmamemories.com/operation-cleanup/kimbo-just-slice-off-some-of-that-respectability/),
who is the star of MMA upstart Elite XC. But there is justifiable question as to whether his involvement constitutes legitimate mixed martial arts. Organizations such as the UFC have been
careful to promote MMA competition as a legitimate alternative to the shenanigans that have been known to go on in professional boxing.
Now with boxing refugees like Elite XC's Gary Shaw and the IFL's Jay Larkin infiltrating the game, and media creations like Kimbo Slice (http://www.mmamemories.com/operation-cleanup/kimbo-just-slice-off-some-of-that-respectability/)
being offered as the future of the sport, is MMA degenerating to the point where it will go the way of boxing as a business that will, over the course of time, lose public confidence
Charles Jay of MMAMemories.com a veteran of boxing himself and a renowned investigative writer, will examine these questions in a series of explosive columns that will run all week on the
website. Using a fresh angle and an educated perspective, it is a good bet that once visitors read them, they'll never look at these issues the same again.
"The sport of mixed martial arts (http://www.mmaonline.com), which I have come to respect a great deal, is really at a crossroads," Jay says. "It
has to decide what kind of sport it is going to be, because right now it looks like it's embracing the same kind of methods that made boxing an afterthought in the minds of younger, more
skeptical fans."
MMAMemories.com (http://www.mmamemories.com/) covers the annals of mixed martial arts, with stories of historical perspective, information for
collectors, and commentary on history, as it's being made. It is part of the Boxing Insider network of websites, which include Boxinginsider.com MMAOnline.com & MMAMemories.com.
Larry Goldberg
Larry @ boxinginsider.com
609-992-8542