Boxing has been around for many years, and there are many fans of the sport, however; with all due respect, it is not the same and it has lost its luster compared to MMA.

In boxing there are many rules and regulations restricting the real fire to release from a fighter inside. It is a modified fight, a non-realistic fight. When someone attacks, you position yourself to fend off an attacker or you begin a controlled attack.

Boxing dominated back in the day, but we have evolved and we live in violent-driven society and we want to see more brutality. We want to see more action. Damage is dealt ten times over in MMA compared to boxing. The only blows a boxer suffers are punches to the head or upper body. An MMA fighter on the other hand withstands blows to the head with devastating elbows, punches, kicks, knees, and can be slammed to the mat. 

MMA is closer to a real fight then boxing is, hence their slogan, “As real as it gets.” This true to life sport has gained an audience that rivals boxing. To some it has equaled, but I feel that it has surpassed boxing and it is because of the gruesomeness of the sport and the multiple ways of winning.

Yes, MMA does have limiting restrictions, but the bevy of options utilized by fighters to defeat their opponents introduces a new display of action that fans love to witness. Kicks, punches, and wrestling are all legal. If you were to see a real street fight, it would mirror that of what occurs in the octagon, minus a referee and gloves. Being able to use elbows, knees, and kicks to all parts of the body to win a match is what makes the sport seem as if it is a modern day Coliseum where warriors battle. 

In all honesty the relationship between street fighting and MMA are uncanny, thus why people commonly prefer to watch MMA over boxing because the moves that fighters execute are realistic and lethal, where as the moves boxers use are rather protected and inferior. All it takes is a look at the gloves used in both sports. Boxing gloves act as a thick cushion, where MMA gloves have hardly as much protection. 

I do credit fighters for being able to lace up gloves and fight in a ring. It seems to be a very intense cardio workout, in fact more so than MMA. However I prefer MMA for the more authentic and real-life fighting that takes place in almost every match-up. 

There was a time when boxing was what everyone talked about, but as times change and as sports grow and develop, so do our interests in what we watch. People are beginning to see the true authenticity of MMA and the inferiority of boxing. 

Boxing ruled the ’90s. The heavyweight division played a huge part in America’s love of boxing. The time when Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, and Mike Tyson transitioned from athletes to culture icons seems like a time that will never be repeated for the sport of boxing. MMA is the new talk of the town, with faces representing the sport like Connor “Notorious” McGregor, Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey, and Jon “Bones” Jones. 

Even though more rules are in place for MMA then they once were, it will always reign supreme in regards to brutality and fighting compared to boxing. The true legends of boxing and time that they ruled seems like a distant nostalgic memory rather than something of the present.