The Future of Combat Sports - Boxing vs MMA

via www.playerpress.com

With James Toney signing a fight contract with the UFC, the ongoing debate of MMA vs. Boxing gets new life. What often gets overlooked in the current debate between the combat sports is the future of each. Now, it is easy for many fans to look at the recent rise in popularity of the UFC following UFC 100 to say that MMA is the future of combat sports and Boxing will soon be all but non existent in the United States. Even with the recent surge Boxing has received thanks to Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., most believe that once (and if) the two fight each other, that will be the pinnacle of the sport and only a decline in interest can come from there. Whether or not that proves to be true, both of these sports' future will be determined by the athletes that decide to compete in them. So then, the question is which is the better avenue for a young fighter to pursue, MMA or Boxing?

When comparing the two side by side, which sport is more athlete friendly in becoming successful? Lets look at some general facts about the two sports and try to come to a conclusion. 

Boxing:

- After baseball, probably the sport with the richest history in the United States, with many iconic figures and big time stars.

- Due to Boxing's history, it is much more widely accepted than MMA. 

- Training begins at a younger age (presently, which could change in the future) than MMA, and amateur competition is much more commonplace and accepted. 

- Bigger paydays for top stars, but journeymen of both sports make comparable money (arguably). 

- Boxer usually requires at least 15-20 straight wins to begin professional career before even being looked at as a possible contender by the Boxing media. 

- Much more risk in losing fights. 21-0 is much more appealing than 21-1, which leads to many "showcase" fights in order to build up fighter' records. 

- Currently. it seems there are many more promoters out there looking to make money off of Boxing, and not as many that are willing to invest in the sport's future. 

- If fighter becomes a star, there is much more media exposure and spotlight than for that of a MMA fighter. Mainstream media is still hesitant in covering MMA, and Boxing does not suffer from the "human cockfighting" stigma. 

MMA:

- Not well established, still not regulated in 4 U.S. states and many places internationally.

- Faces the image problem of grown men fighting each other locked in a steel cage.

- Training does not usually start out as Mixed Martial Arts. Typically, a child trains karate or wrestling, and then as time goes on begins to add different aspects (this is becoming less typical, with many pure MMA training facilities popping up).

- Without a union or any type of support for the fighters, paydays remain low for almost all but the top stars, and even those paydays are not the obscene amounts that are typical of blockbuster Boxing cards.

- Opportunities to prove oneself is much easier. Fighters can challenge for the title with a relatively low amount of fights, such as Brock Lesnar or Brian Bowles. 

- Losing a fight doesn't mean one's career is over. In Boxing, as soon as a fighter loses they are "washed up/has beens/never was". In MMA, people understand that styles make fights and don't hold fighters to this undefeated standard that Boxers are held to. Damien Maia is receiving a title shot just one fight removed from a 22 second loss to Nate "the Great", and people are still very intrigued by the match up Maia presents to the champion and will tune into see the fight. 

- With companies like Zuffa and Strikeforce, it seems that there is alot of money being invested in making MMA a global sport. 

- Even at the top of the weight class, fighters can still make little money and not gain much stardom. People talk about Brock Lesnar and GSP as mainstream stars, but they are the exception, not the rule. For every Brock Lesnar there are many more guys like Mike Thomas Brown who make it to the top driving a Ford Focus. 

After that "State of the Union". I am curious to see what others think about the topic. Right now, MMA is still very young and has many "crossovers" from other sports, whether it be Boxing, Kickboxing, or football stars. Will this always be the case? Or will the talent level evolve enough to where it would be impossible for a gifted athlete to make the switch to MMA? I think it all depends on what sport the top young athletes today decide to compete in 10-15 years from now that will determine which sport ends up on top. A sport is only as good as its players, and the same is true of combat sports. What say you?