Leading up to the Maweather vs. Marquez fight, UFC and most MMA fans assumed that boxing was on life support and that MMA had surpassed the once great sport. Well, after the Mayweather fight, UFC was in for a heavy dose of reality.
Boxing has rolled out its 1-2 combo of Mayweather and Pacquiao in less than a 2 month period. This combo has knocked Dana White and the UFC into the realization that boxing is not dead. Actually, the realization is that not only is boxing not dead, it’s alive and kicking the UFC’s butt.
Mayweather Jr proved why he is still one of the sport’s top draws as his fight brought in around the 1 million mark for PPV buys. Now, Pacquao vs Cotto might not bring in the same amount, but I’m willing to bet that it’s at least 850,000.
We’re looking at close to 2 million PPV buys for the two boxing fights. UFC would need to add up at least 3 or 4 of its previous PPVs to equal this number. Not bad for a sport that’s supposed to be dead or dying. This number casts a huge shadow over the UFC and future head to head battles
Let’s face it MMA fans, boxing is alive and coming out swinging. Dana White and the UFC underestimated and disrespected boxing especially the Mayweather fight. Hopefully, the UFC learned their lesson and they realize that overlooking or dismissing boxing’s power, and the upcoming Pacquiao fight, would be disastrous.
Now, there are those that believe these 2 sports have nothing to do with eachother. Wake Up!!!!! They both compete for the American dollar, the casual fans, sponsors, venues, advertisements, and mainstream attention. Members of both sports have taken shots at each other. Mayweather calls MMA unskilled and Dana White calls boxing boring. If they weren’t competing, then why would either sport even acknowledge the other?
In no way is it the end of either sport, but UFC and MMA fans need to respect its opponent. There’s a shadow looming over UFC’s bright future. The Pacquiao fight is coming like a storm on the horizon, and when it hits the huge PPV numbers that are expected, Dana White and the UFC are going to have to rethink their fight strategy.
