h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The simple answer to the question is tradition, popularity, and a culture of boxing. The same thing doesn't exist for MMA in Britain. It's got nothing to do with which is more violent.

I suspect the main reason is that MMA is a lot less popular than boxing at the moment. You might equally ask why we don't see Thai boxing on the BBC.

Although in terms of violence MMA can be pretty brutal if one person gets knocked to the ground and the other finishes them by standing over and punching.

The current major event in the UK is 'Cage Rage'. It has lots of scantily clad women and is generally a bit tasteless. But then so is a lot of boxing promotion, and we don't have a law against being tasteless. (Incidentally fights are currently shown on Nuts TV, ugh.)

I don't think comparisons with the arena, or the other one I hear a lot: cock fighting, are particularly valid. The contestents are not slaves, nor animals, but people who choose to go and fight because they want to.

The thing is, getting gloved up and beating the hell out of each other is a lot of fun. It's an interesting test of your abilities, and you learn a lot from it. Moreover it adds some sort of reality check to whatever you're training at, so you know it's not a load of old rubbish. Although of course the fight is still only one on one in a limited padded enclosure.

Incidentally, to whoever it was who commented on the reality of pro-wrestling: there do exist a number of proper wrestling sports: see greco-roman freestyle.

I don´t know wether MMA is any safer than boxing. However from what I have seen, it is certainly a lot more brutal. People being held while kneed in the face and such. I wouldn´t want a bloodsport like that to be shown on publically owned tv.

they should not show mma on the telly
because young kid will copy it in the
play ground thats proberly why the bbc
dont show it. i know a great sport that
would work celeb MMA everybody would watch that

From some of the reactions just there, I'd say it needs to be repeated... Why boxing and not MMA if violence offends you (or if it doesn't)?

And if children are staying up late to watch boxing and MMA (and Bob knows what else), then I'd say copycat fighting is the least of their problems.

I think it's simple. People want to watch boxing. People don't want to watch MMA.

The Beeb'll put on any old garbage if they think people will sit there and gawp at it. That's why they spend so much money on free advertising for that troll Andrew Lloyd Webber.

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Exactly. MMA is more interesting than 97% of what they do show.
And they really are good martial artists. Olympic judo champions have taken part in it, including Yoshida and Kimura. The current number one heavyweight MMA fighter (Fedor Emelianenko) has represented Russia at judo.

Unfortunately for them, boxers don't do very well in MMA.

"Exactly. MMA is more interesting than 97% of what they do show."

But it'll get about 3% of the ratings.

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Perhaps.

But that's better than for cricket.
And it'd soon catch on once people started to appreciate the technical skill involved. Fighting is the rawest form of competition.

There are a minimum amount of rules to ensure the safety of competitors. As mentioned before, the fact that fighters have options other than hitting each other in the head and body actually makes MMA safer than boxing, although ignorant people of course don't realise this. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop them talking as if they do know what they're talking about.

Is cricket on the beeb nowadays?

Besides the BBC are unlikely ever to buy rights to a sport "on spec" that it might become popular.

The sport budget will always be limited, and given that the BBC is funded through licence money they have a responsibility to use that budget to reflect what people would like to see, and what is deemed "culturally different".

Still now that C4 no longer show Kurbadi there could be an opening !

FB

Hatton's anihilation by Pacquiao perfectly demonstrates the brutality of boxing

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/8028250.stm

Mmmmm, but what spectacle eh?

FB