MMA On CBS Lead Item On ESPN's PTI

Courtesy of that wacky, luvable, huggable, squeezable, seXXXii ... I mean, Combat Hooligan Casey Trowbridge:

Yeah, I tried for the initial thing on purpose.

ESPN's Pardon the Interruption (PTI) led off today's broadcast with the discussion of Mixed Martial Arts on network Television.

Both hosts, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, made some good points and missed out on 1 or 2.

Wilbon continues to believe that MMA is more brutal and violent than boxing. Has anyone told this columnist for the Washington Post that while it is true that the injury risk in MMA is higher, the death rate in boxing is significantly higher than in MMA.

Kornheiser acknowledged, as he has in the past, that he is too old for MMA. He noted though that he is not in its target demographic.
Wilbon added that MMA is targeting not just 18-year-olds but 14-year-olds to lock them in as fans of the sport for a long time to come.

They both noted that Boxing walked away from network TV allowing for something like this to take its place. Kornheiser said it could've been wrestling, it could've been this, in reference to MMA. I'd argue that for a long time, it was wrestling and if you factor in cable TV...it still is.

Anyway, that's the segment. Neither ProElite or EliteXC were mentioned by name but Kornheiser did note that Kimbo Slice was likely to headline the first show.

I can't say they got the sport totally wrong but they didn't get it all right either.