MMA’s Move to Primetime Nears

By Richard Diaz
Love of Sports Correspondent

Do you remember the 1998 Summer of Love?

Still suffering aftershocks from a strike that put the kibosh on the 1994 World Series, it’s safe to assume the steroid infused home run chase was an integral element behind the resurgence of Major League Baseball.

The nation was captivated by McGwire smacking shots into Big Mac Land and Sosa launching balls onto Waveland Avenue. Truth be told, there was even a certain level of fandom for Rafael Palmeiro’s warehouse blasts. So, for all the brouhaha of the steroid scandal, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that baseball became “cool” again as a nearly direct result of those same juiced-up homers.

In keeping with that line of thought, there’s another sport approaching a vital moment in its youthful history. Similar to the way the home run chase brought old and new fans to the park, the upcoming MMA schedule can potentially launch the industry into the mainstream like never before. And while it’s fair to assume baseball would’ve found its way back into the heart of sports fan without the chase, I’m not sure the same can be said for MMA.

As a boxing fan, I’m yet to cross the line into that ‘other realm’ of professional fighting. The recent UFC events weren’t anything out of this world, although EliteXC’s promotion in Miami was indeed an entertaining one. And for as much as people will call him overrated, the idea of Kimbo Slice becoming the face of MMA isn’t too farfetched.

As the doldrums of summer approach, there’ll be fewer and fewer sports events to watch, and it’s with great anticipation that the likes of UFC and EliteXC hope to capitalize on this gap in major action.

The UFC 84 in Las Vegas has a card that’ll feature one of the biggest lightweight title matches in quite some time, which will pit the current lightweight champion, B.J. Penn, against a former champion in Sean Sherk. Aside from the typical animosity that develops between opponents, this one’s gotten a bit personal. On one hand there’s Sherk, who flat out denies he took the steroids that resulted in him being stripped of the title, while Penn’s been somewhat skeptical about the entire incident.

Also worth mentioning is the fight between Keith Jardin and Wanderlei Silva. Aside from inevitably leading to a contest between the winner and Chuck Liddell, the match will go a long way in determining whether the legend of Wanderlei is over, or if he’s still alive and kicking.

Tito Ortiz will also be fighting his final UFC match that night. It’s going to be interesting to see if he can land a final blow in his personal feud with UFC president Dana White by defeating the up-and-comer Lyoto Machida.

As action packed as that card looks on paper, there’s more to the sport’s future than UFC 84, as the fate of mainstream MMA isn’t completely linked with UFC.

Unless you’ve been in hiding, odds are you’ve seen the behemoth that is Kimbo Slice. He’s the YouTube myth who’s become the face of a once unknown organization known as EliteXC. His raw power and unprecedented appetite for destruction boosted the little known organization into the mainstream.

Thanks in part to YouTube, 790 The Ticket’s Dan LeBatard in Miami and a few other people who know how to market a product, Slice is more myth than reality. While some would proclaim he’s famous for backyard brawling and knocking out over-the-hill fighters, I can’t help but argue otherwise.

Slice is preparing to beat the crap out of James Thompson. Thompson isn’t Chuck Liddell or Quinton Jackson, but he’s a strong fighter, nonetheless, yet one who will likely make for another fine punching bag. Critics like to hate on Slice, but it’s impossible to deny the fact he’s the main reason for CBS joining forces with EliteXC. He’s the reason MMA is going where it’s never been before, that being live on prime-time, on a major network.

Beyond Kimbo, I’ve got to give some love for the bout between Gina Carano and Kaitlin Young, which is potentially the biggest match in women’s MMA history. Likely playing out in front of a humongous audience, there’s little doubt this match could take the female side of the sport to an even higher and more legitimate platform than it’s already reached.

So, here’s some love for May 24’s UFC 84 and May 31’s EliteXC events. A successful combination of these two nights could easily take MMA to levels of mainstream popularity that have never been witnessed before. A successful outcome could pave the way for better media coverage of the high profile matches that are already scheduled through June and July.

If the ratings are there, odds are we’ll be hearing a lot about Quinton Jackson taking on Forrest Griffin on July 5, just as we’ll be hearing about the debut event from Affliction Promotion, which features a big money headline bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia.

Here’s to hoping the events don’t fall flat, because an EliteXC failure could really harm MMA’s chances for mainstream popularity, which in turn could send the sport itself crumbling to its knees.

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