THE CLINCH REPORT

(Video:Bob Arum at his best, and THE UFC on FOX)

Saturday night the world was introduced to Mixed Martial Arts’s at its finest, when the UFC debuted in a prime-time market; on a prime-time network: Fox. A few months ago the media giant FOX, and the UFC came to an agreement to showcase octagon battles live beginning in 2012. Previously the sport was relegated to secondary cable networks, late-night slots, and Pay Per view channels. Last night was just a taste of this new venture.

The first Heavyweight Championship fight on network television in recent memory lasted only 1:04. Junior dos Santos caught a passive Cain Velasquez with an overhand right hand to the temple, that knocked the champion senseless, just long enough to allow a swarming dos Santos to finish the fight with unanswered strikes on the ground.

An estimated 60 million viewers in Brazil alone tuned in to watch countrymen dos Santos capture the Heavyweight Championship in remarkable fashion.

Commentary:The UFC debut on FOX was a huge success,in spite of what critics and fans might claim. Many have stated the UFC’s ‘one-fight’ format backfired, when the 25 minute fight ended in just over 1 minute. However the ratings will certainly show, worldwide, that people watched. Finally, the fastest growing sport in the world, was shown to the world, for free, live! The way the fight ended only matters in one respect: it ended definitively and it ended fairly.

Can the same be said of the other major fight this weekend? This weekend boxing sunk to an all-time low, with the robbery of Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas. I watched the fight through 7 rounds (before i lost my feed), and had marquez ahead 5 rounds to 2. From most legitimate accounts, the scoring of this fight ranged from a draw, to a Marquez win by two or even three rounds! Only one judge agreed! The other two judges saw the fan favorite Manny Pacquiao winning. The crowd was obviously in disagreement, as the boos thundered throughout, and press-row took a bath in discarded beer. The boxing world as whole seemed to disagree.

The sport took another devastating shot, this time delivered below the belt, and directed from Bob Arum’s racial tirade after the fight when he claimed the only ones who cried robbery were people with “Mexican” last names. Bob Arum is slowly becoming as detestable as Don King, they are both a skid-marks on the sport they earn their living in! The simple truth of the matter is Marquez won that fight! Now ask yourself why?

There are many reasons why this fight ended the way it did. In fact there are 200 million reasons. A Marquez victory surely would have dampened a possible Mayweather v Pacquiao fight, that some say would generate over 200 million dollars. Im pretty sure the Nevada State Athletic Commission is not going to investigate themselves, so they are hoping the Mayweather hype will replace the discussion entirely. However, they are sadly mistaken. Boxing fans are quick to jump ship when the product is corrupt (see Heavyweight division since Tyson). This time, it may be the death rattle, the casual fan can now find MMA on network television, a similar product, with rising stock. The overall winner in the Pacquiao v Marquez fight was The UFC, and FOX!