In appealing to the masses, MMA has its work cut out for it

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Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (right) was one of MMA's most marketable figures in 2008. AP Josh Gross's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Josh. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Relative to where mixed martial arts wallowed a decade ago, it's easy to say it has reached mainstream success in North America. Yet, thinking to where the nascent combat sport could stand a quarter century from now if one were to glean anything from the way boxing grew palatable to audiences after its formative years, MMA has plenty of room to mature.

In a recent mailbag I wrote that MMA remains (and will continue to remain) a niche undertaking -- this even as it flirts with an increasingly interested and accepting audience, and in spite of its proliferation on television and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue generated per year. Simply put, there are cold, hard realities about the sport that some will never accept. That's fine. MMA, like boxing, isn't for everyone.

However, MMA must be careful not to limit its growth from the inside. As an industry, there's plenty promoters and fighters can accomplish that would bridge gaps between the sport and potential fans.

With the fast-approaching UFC 100 heralding a landmark event for MMA in the U.S., one likely to capture the attention of anyone possessing even a passing interest in good fights, it's time to take stock in what "mainstream" actually means, and discuss four keys to bringing the sport to wider audiences.

Regulation

Forty states and counting. Each month brings word of state legislators acknowledging MMA's impact on their communities. While much of the regulation debate has centered on regions in which the Ultimate Fighting Championship might one day promote, the reality of regulation in 2009 extends well beyond MMA's largest promoter.

At its core, the drive for MMA regulation, which began in the late 1990s, sprouted from a desire for legitimacy. For the sport to be free of its underground roots, it needed the platform to do so. Regulation equaled state-sanctioned venues, which in turn allowed for television, sponsorship and so on.

Today, scuffles over legitimacy exist only in circles where the scope of the sport's growth and mounting evidence of its relative safety are willfully ignored. Instead, the real benefit of regulation provides young fighters with opportunities to, well, fight. As more states and Canadian provinces come on board, fighters -- both male and female -- will gain access to amateur events and entry-level pro cards.

Properly promoted, these bouts can have a uniquely positive impact on the public's perception of the sport -- as well as creating new generations of prospects.

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