UFC has burst onto the sports landscape and quickly become one of the most watched sporting events. The excitement and quick knockouts are attracting a lot of attention which has resulted in a surge of popularity. It has caused many to wonder if this new form of fighting will be the demise of traditional boxing.

What Are They Doing Differently?

The obvious differences between boxing and the UFC, is that fighters can strike with their fist, knee, use takedowns and submissions holds. Traditional boxing, on the other hand, only allows for punches with the fist above the waist. UFC fights go for a total of three rounds, each round lasting five minutes. Traditional boxing can go up to twelve rounds, with each round lasting three minutes. From this short explanation you can immediately see the differences. UFC has developed a more exciting form of fighting which seems to draw more attention than traditional boxing because they are appealing to what the fans want – quick fights that are also very entertaining because of their brutality.

Development

UFC fighters seem to have a better chance of moving up in the ranks than in traditional boxing because fights occur more often. This definitely seems to appeal to viewers because there's always a fighter with nothing to lose going up against a more established fighter, who has a reputation to uphold. UFC also has a wider global appeal thanks to the diversity of fighters from different parts of the world. The UFC creates local heroes that people can follow which has really helped the growth of the brand worldwide.

Which is More Popular: UFC vs Traditional Boxing

According to a survey done by Payout, the business side of MMA, on 200,000 U.S. residents who range between the ages of 18 and 77 “the UFC (74.6% of males polled) is most popular.“ However, women (52.6% of the female population) preferred traditional boxing over the UFC.” UFC did well with ages 18-44 while boxing was more popular among 30-44 year olds.

References

Jason Cruz. (2013, May 11). Survey shows popularity of Boxing and UFC. PAYOUT, the business of MMA. Retrieved from http://mmapayout.com/2013/05/survey-shows-popularity-of-boxing-and-ufc/

Sports Sponsorship Insider. (2015, May 7). UFC Outlines Terms Of Groundbreaking Reebok Deal. http://www.sbrnet.com.ezproxy.samford.edu/Article-Detail.aspx?id=2339

UFC Gallery. (2011-2012). ufc ultimate fighting championship logo wallpaper background. Retrieved from http://ufcgallery.blogspot.com/2011/05/ufc-logo-wallpaper.html

This blog post was written by Samford University student Jermaine Seoposenwe.