So UFC is on Sportscenter. So what?

First of all, I'd like to say great job to Zuffa for getting some semblance of MMA on ESPN. It must have been hard for them to get this far. They totally deserved props.

With that said, I think ESPN and Zuffa could have gone a lot farther with coverage, but with the Powers That Be at ESPN like they are, it's going to be a long time before we see a bit more content to future reports.

I know. I know. "Stop being a pessimist!" "You'll jinx us!" "Don't you want MMA to succeed?" The answer is Yes, I would love to see MMA succeed. But hear me out.

To me...that Sportscenter piece...was really lackluster. It did nothing to promote, it did nothing to inform and it did nothing to validate. It was nothing. In fact, I can do the whole segment in a couple sentences. Here we go:

Ultimate Fighting is the combination of all aspect of martial arts combat put together in a display of unarmed combat.

A reality star who won a chance at a title fight with the UFC Welterweight Champion surprised everyone by winning said championship.

That was the whole gist of the segment. Pitiful ain't it?

First off, they didn't promote Matt Serra as a "veteran fighter". They promoted him as a "reality star". While he did win his chance at the title on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, they made it sound like he was this chump off the street. Like anyone can get a title shot. I hope they do a little more research next time.

Another thing that irked me was that they only shown the title fight, like it was the only fight that mattered. That was very "Boxing" of them to do so. This was an awesome card that did needed some highlighting. If I was given say, thirty secs. to a minute for a package, I would not only put in the title fight, but some highlights of the Cummo/Haynes KO, Garcia/Huerta and also Swick/Okami. They I'd follow it up with some post fight quips. Not only am I showing every aspect of MMA, I'm also getting people to know the fighters as well. One of Boxing's hurting points is that you don't know much about the fighters. This is due to, yes, media outlets just showing title fights. More coverage means more knowledgeable people and also means more profit for everyone. It also dispels the "unpopular" myth. You give it time and effort, sports won't be "not popular enough". They'll be just "sports".

While it was a valiant first effort, I won't be convinced that ESPN is committed to "ultimate fighting" until we see it covered consistently. UFC 70 will be the tipping point as to whether or not ESPN will cover it as "sport" or cover it as "Boxing". If it is covered as "Sport" then all as well. If it's covered as "Boxing", then Zuffa really needs to sit them down and talk to them about the sport. And I mean heart to heart.

But for now, The segment was hype. No substance.