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Arum: "UFC is junk, it's garbage."

10K views 165 replies 52 participants last post by  Darkwraith 
#1 · (Edited)
http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=22128

By Mark Vester

During a recent talk with MMA Fanhouse, Top Rank's Bob Arum unloaded some big shots at the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts. Arum's recent comments land on the eve of UFC president Dana White's recent negative comments about boxing and the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez pay-per-view.

"I've been to an MMA fight night and it's terrible. I admire Dana White and all the UFC guys as they've done very well. But for me it's junk, it's garbage. You've got guys rolling around on the ground and it's not a sport that shows great, great talent. The guys can't throw punches to save their ass and when a punch lands they've got no chin. They're not like boxers and aren't trained like them," Arum said.

Arum says the UFC audience and the boxing audience are entirely different. His characterization of the UFC audience and the UFC fighters are off by a mile. Instead of watching a UFC event, Arum must have been watching the movie American History X.

"I look at the UFC audience and boxing audience as entirely different. Boxing's audience is largely ethnic and includes the hardcore fans who, like me, can't watch UFC. UFC's a bunch of skinhead white guys watching a bunch of people in the ring who also look like skinhead white guys. Ninety per cent of the MMA audience have tattoos — and I don't care because that's up to them," Arum said.

"But they aren't people who will have any interest in boxing. The only guy they might want to see is Kelly Pavlik. For me, and people like me, MMA is not something that they ever cared to see. It's horrible."

He won't deny the UFC's drawing power and their ability to market, sell and promote their events.

"They've made us adapt as they do an unbelievable job in certain aspects — and we're trying to duplicate that. They're sensational promoters and are class guys who have built a good business. But I think the majority of my generation agree that it's junk," Arum said.
What a plonker.

Considering how many people think boxing to be nothing but "Two thick blokes punching each other in the face.", the last thing you would expect out of boxing circles is exactly the same misinformed uneducated opinions about another sport. And yet, here we are having to listen to this. It's like the school playground with some boxing people.
 
#160 ·
The guy's a ****, but he makes some valid points.

The casual UFC fan is usually a loud mouth drunk hick. 99%+ of the fighters have tats and a lot of big white guys like to fight.

Skill wise its going to take MMA another decade or so to be on the same level as boxing.
Wow. Ignorance at work here folks, move along nothing to see...
 
#161 ·
Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather: $136.6 million. De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao: $69.9 million. "The Dark Knight:" $67.1 million. "Harry Potter:" $58.5 million. Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton: $50.7 million. "Star Wars III:" $50 million. "Pirates of the Caribbean:" $44.1 million. Pacquiao-Hatton: $41.6 million.

No MMA event makes the top 8 highest grossing PPV events. I think this proves Arum right about UFC isn't doing the PPV buys that they are claiming to do.
 
#163 ·
The UFC doesnt release there PPV revenue numbers so it would be impossible for them to make the list unless they were estimates.

Also your numbers are wrong because at the time Wrestlemania 25 was the highest grossing PPV of all time and its not on your list but Star Wars 3 is. Also Mayweather/De La Hoya broke the record set by Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield whcih again somehow never made you list.
 
#162 ·
Bob Arum's going to say whatever he feels he has to say to protect his interests, and Dana White is going to say what he feels he has to say to protect his interests. Ultimately, the fans will decide.

Right now, it looks like boxing is capable of putting on one or two blockbuster matchups per year.

The UFC? Maybe 5-7 "must see" crazy buzz matchups per year, at least. Add one or two more amazing cards from a rival promotion such as affliction or strikeforce. And the UFC is much more likely to offer multiple stacked cards per year, rather than only one or two interesting fights per year, as boxing has been relegated to doing.

The momentum is clearly on the UFC's side, but there will be a boxing fanbase for many years to come.
 
#164 · (Edited)
I dont care about his views on fighting styles. It his view of skin color that pisses me off.

He makes UFC out to be bad because it has a lot of white fighters in it. So if a sport is mostly white its bad? Everyone who likes it is bad also?

WTF???? Sounds racist to me:thumbsdown:

I think I may write a letter to people who sponser his articals and tell them to fire him or make him apologize.
 
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