The UFC has become a billion dollar business complete with a UFC magazine, UFC fighter action figures, apparel, etc. I am starting to wonder why not many people consider that fighting is fighting and business is business. In other words, is UFC popular because of its approach to sport fighting, or because it is now a huge capitalist enterprise?
Have people forgotten that when the Gracie brothers were cage fighting (in the UFC’s early stages) that you had to watch late-night cable to see these not-so-widely know fighters “ground and pound.” The only people who watched these older fights were martial artists, or people who discovered these fights accidentally when channel surfing. At some point, the UFC owners dumped tens of millions of dollars into marketing and promoting the UFC, and now it is almost as popular as any other sport in America.
My point is: if someone made the same financial commitment to promote Thai Boxing or Kung Fu San Sao fighting, I am sure they would be become pretty popular as well. People may be underestimating the effect of the almighty dollar when it comes to the UFC. After all, many UFC fighting moves are taken from traditional martial arts, so why is the UFC so big? It is a business, and a very successful one, but is that because of the fighters or the owners . . .
Please don’t think that I am taking away from the athletic ability of the UFC fighters. Their conditioning and fitness is unparalleled in the martial arts world, and I respect how much work it takes to get fit like they do – see my FIT TO FIGHT page. At the same time, lets separate the athletes from their sport. Athletes train and compete because it is in their nature to do so (as in any sport), but sports exist because of money.
