There is no doubt that the world of boxing is not what it was. Even former champion Mike Tyson has spoken out about a decline in the sport which he attributes to a lack of personalities.
These problems in the boxing world have certainly helped MMA to rise in popularity. After all, love him or loathe him, MMA star Conor McGregor is certainly a character who attracts a lot of attention. Recently, that attention has surrounded both the positive news of his victory over Donald Cerrone and the negative news of legal issues in his native Ireland. However, it’s not just personalities like McGregor who have led to the rise in popularity of MMA.
Why MMA has risen in popularity
Arguably, the main reason that MMA has achieved mainstream popularity is that a selection of the rules were reformed in order to remove some of the brutality and give the sport wider appeal.
The founding of the UFC also raised the profile of MMA internationally. This has led to the growth of MMA as a business model, with live streaming of fights attracting huge viewer numbers.
The sport had also benefited from excellent marketing, including the bout between McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. Although Mayweather was expected to completely dominate, McGregor gave a good account of himself and was not defeated until the 10th round; not bad for a boxing novice. Following McGregor’s recent victory over Cerrone, Mayweather has hinted that there could be a McGregor Vs Cerrone rematch in 2020.
Online MMA for non-physical enjoyment
It’s not just live action MMA that has proved to be a growing attraction in recent years. The gaming world has also fallen in love with the sport. MMA video games are now an essential feature of many gaming collections.
There are many different types of MMA gaming experience. For instance, some pro wrestling games have an MMA option that players can choose. One of the biggest developments that has started to shape the world of MMA gaming is the need for realistic game play.
Players want to have control over characters that look like real MMA fighters. Developments in technology have enabled this to happen. They have also allowed games to become more complex as they better reflect the real MMA fighting experience. This means that players now have a range of popular fighting games to choose from including Injustice 2: Legendary Edition, Mortal Kombat XL and EA Sports UFC 2.
Players can also find a gaming platform with an array of different games to choose from, provided by gaming software experts like NetEnt. Several of these online casino games now feature MMA related graphics or reflect the spirit of the sport.
MMA has gone from being regarded as a vicious sport to mainstream entertainment. This is due to a combination of factors including rule changes, memorable personalities and a range of related activities, such as online gaming. The popularity of MMA seems set to increase further, especially if the demise of boxing continues.