Boxing's future weighs heavily on 'Rampage'

July 2, 2008

by: Colby White

It's time to put the UFC to the test.

Last summer, the league and the whole sport of mixed martial arts was set to finally earn its rightful place next to boxing in the American sporting landscape. The Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Chuck "Iceman" Liddell was the most promoted and talked-about MMA fight to date, attracting attention from the mainstream sports media (most notably ESPN, as they seem to set the agenda when it comes to sports).

For the fans that had been following the sport for years, the pre-fight hype was a pleasure, even if it did mean we had to sit through the cliché "MMA vs. boxing" debates.

Mix together all the exposure that came from MMA's version of Mayweather vs. De La Hoya and a first-round knockout punch that added another highlight to Jackson's resume, and you have an environment set for Jackson to become the unofficial face of the UFC.

Four months later, Jackson was still atop the pedestal. Jackson defended his title against Dan Henderson in London in September at UFC 75. The event was only the fourth UFC event to be held in Europe, and with the league fresh off of the craze Jackson-Liddell generated, it was important for them to capitalize by continuing their buzz.

Jackson delivered. His five-round unanimous decision over Henderson raked in the highest recorded ratings of any MMA broadcast (4.7 million viewers) and set a record at London's The O2 for money collected at the gate, eclipsing a Rolling Stones concert.

To put it another way, Jackson is in the same class as Mick Jagger in England.

Now, Jackson is set to step into the ring again and defend his title against Forest Griffin on Saturday in Las Vegas, a culmination of this season's "The Ultimate Fighter," a promotional program for the UFC masked as a reality show.

Jackson has the tools to be the celebrity the UFC needs in order to be able to crack ESPN and stay there. The street fighter swagger that somehow still allows him to tell jokes in front of the camera. The borderline-silly howl that has become his trademark. The Kanye West factor when it comes to not being afraid to speak his mind and sound a bit dumb even when his heart's in the right place. (When asked about the death of Sean Taylor, Jackson responded, "Shot him in the leg and he died? Where the hell was the ambulance? Flavor Flav was real when he said 9/11 was a joke.")

He's proven he can do it in England, but back here in the States, the MMA buzz has slowed down since the Jackson-Liddell fight. Boxing has seen a rise during the past year thanks to exciting fights from the likes of Kelly Pavlik and Manny Pacquiao, while mainstream media has seemed to latch onto the circus act that is EliteXC's Kimbo Slice, forgetting about the UFC in the process.

So when Jackson faces off against Griffin on Saturday, there's more on the line than just a title belt. UFC, and MMA in general could use an entertaining fight in order to stay relevant among fans on the fringe. If not, it could enter the realm of the Arena Football League - sticking around, but nobody's really paying attention.

It may be a bit unfair to put all that weight on Jackson, but it's the responsibility that comes with winning the biggest event in the history of a sport struggling to get its due respect.

Jackson, just consider it a test.

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