The simple fact is that Zuffa and the UFC used the publicity from sites like Sherdog and MMAWeekly until they didn’t need it any more. This sport is one that survived solely because of sites like those and hell even the UG too, when the cable ban was still going on and the UFC was taking place in some inbred hillbilly town somewhere in Louisiana. Do you even remember the cable ban? Hell how many of you even remember when Zuffa decided to ban the MMA site from reporting on the UFC.

As soon as thought they were going to be mainstream they dropped those guys like a stone and started feeding the mainstream guys their B.S. You guys do remember all the pro-Zuffa propaganda that’s come out in the past couple of years since the ban? Why would they do that?

Because they could, mainstream guys are boxing hacks who don’t know shit about the sport and lack the critical mind to even examine what they are being spoon fed. Besides, why would a mainstream guy even try to rock the boat when they’re given access to these events.

But if you guys really want to bitch about spoilers, well I guess that’s up to you. But honestly that’s a pretty lame excuse about justifying the ban.

And how is that any different from what we have now? The majority of people that cover the sport in the mainstream areas are boxing hacks who really don’t understand what they are watching.

MMA Idiots are a plenty when you’re dealing with journalists from the LA Times, Yahoo, CBS Sportsline, SI, and now ESPN. And the saddest thing is that these twists get to actually attend the UFC. While Dana White decided to ban guys like Sherdog and MMAWeekly.com a couple of years ago.

I have been watching since UFC 1 and always viewed things very technically and stayed detached. Now that it is big business, I am getting drawn in to the other aspects, and the fun isn’t there.

Oh, and get ready for the new wave of MMA “experts” who will be popping up: Old boxing writers who will be giving us their uninformed analysis of the fights.

On ESPN TV today, they used “ultimate fighting” rather than MMA most of the time. It was remarkable to watch how UFC got all the coverage and no other MMA players got much notice, if any.

Zach, might I ask what’s remarkable about this? It’s the day before one of the bigger matchups in UFC history, and they’re using the event as a springboard to introduce MMA coverage. Things like their chevrons reading “boxing vs ultimate fighting” are problematic, but their partnership with sherdog on the website, and the coverage of shooto, etc bodes well for the future. For now, sure they’ll only cover the UFC on TV. You don’t see SportsCenter showing minor league baseball unless something amazing happens in a game. As of right now, all other domestic players are small-time compared to the UFC. Why would they be covered on SC? Do any of the mid-size orgs even have cards going on this weekend?

And it is true that only the UFC has blown up in America. They have become the biggest name in Europe, easily having bigger gates then any competition. Their upcoming Ireland card was less then 1,000 tickets from being sold out as of last week. They are the biggest in North America by far. The only market they have left to conquer in Asia, and Japan alone is going to be tough. Heck, MMA in general is on a downward slope in the country.

By the way, I just caught SportCenter. The announcer was butchering the talking. He said it was a Heavyweight fight for Liddell/Rampage. He kept on studdering. You could tell he didn’t know what he was talking about. One of the other sports casters in the background kept on butting in, cause you could tell her was a fan. It was funny.

Either way, it was great exposure. They are giving the rules of the sport. They are educating the general public. If nothing else, this will give the UFC staying power. It will keep them in the public’s eye on a monthly basis. That is such power for one organization to have.

I agree, but lets wait and see how the K1 show is covered.