Interesting article. I think the internet has given way to intense debate about a great many things. Dan Marino, Warren Moon, Barry Sanders, Eric Dickinson, and Earl Campbell were by no means selfish players though. They had stellar careers, and it takes a team to win it all.

1. Who would praise the UFC's accomplishments and contributions first if they had an axe to grind? It was more intended to be a praise of Strikeforce's recent moves and an acknowledgment of some recent bad luck for the UFC.

2. This article was written before several of the upcoming UFC cards had been established (and before Lesnar announced his return), and there are many MMA fans who have described several recent UFC fight cards as relatively weak. I agree with them.

3. For the record, I do not think the UFC is on the verge of collapse, nor do I think that Strikeforce is likely to overtake the UFC. But, I think that if there is ever a time for Strikeforce to make moves to compete, it is after a series of events that could be chalked up to bad luck for the UFC.

4. Why are you so high on China? lol China has about one third the GDP the U.S. has and they have some serious human rights issues.

5. Up and coming from the standpoint of marketing. Lawler hasn't fought in the UFC for a very long time, so to the casual fan (Dana White's bread and butter) Lawler may not be as well known as some lesser UFC fighters coming out of the Ultimate Fighter. Lawler is "up and coming" from a marketing standpoint.

6. You are awfully defensive. Do you own stock in the UFC? lol

Thanks. MMA is much more complex and interesting to me than boxing. Boxing is strictly a punching game. In MMA, you can win by striking (with your hands, legs, and elbows) or with submission wrestling techniques, so there is a much broader array of techniques a fighter has to learn to attack and defend in an MMA match. The more you understand these techniques as a fan, the more you tend to appreciate what MMA fighters do in the ring.

Also, the talent pool in boxing has declined significantly over the years, in part because the rise of MMA has stolen some of the boxing industry's revenue. I really haven't had a whole lot of interest in boxing after Tyson vs. Hollyfield since they were really the last two longstanding heavyweight champions. You don't see many longstanding champions like that in boxing anymore.