The rise of the UFC

Since the first time I saw Joyce Gracie submit fighters twice his size, I have been a fan of the UFC. The sport has come a long way since those early years of no-holds barred competition. The emergence of a certain set of rules banning certain strikes and holds, and different weight classes have helped to solidify the UFC as a major sport. Although I do miss those those old David vs. Goliath matches, The UFC is more entertaining than ever. I love the fact that it has the excitement and spectacles of the WWE, but it doesn't have the corny pre-written scripts and outcomes. These characters are for real, and people either love them or love to hate them.

 Hiring Dana White as president has been a very good decision by the UFC. He is a natural born promoter that handles himself very well and interviews and knows how to bring in the fans. Fans = revenue, and revenue is what the UFC brings in very well. Dana White has the ability to pair up fighters who will more often than not put on a good fight. The great thing about the UFC is it makes the fighters who yearn for a championship master several disciplines. You have to be a good striker along with a balanced ground game if you want to have a chance.(unless you count Tank Abbott, the bar room brawler of the early years)

 Brock Lesner has driven the ratings up since his emergence as the heavyweight champion even though he doesn't have a big fan base. People pay to watch his bouts hoping he gets beat. The UFC has filled the void that we lost with boxing. I can't remember the last heavyweight champion we had. Most of them today are from Eastern Europe and fight mostly overseas, how are we supposed to get into that. The UFC also has foreign champions, but most of the bouts are held here in the states. Fighters like George St. Pierre and Anderson Silva also bring in the money by performing at such a high level in each fight. There skills are unsurpassed at the present time.

 So let the critics keep criticizing. The UFC is here and with an ever growing fan base, they will be here for a long time.