At first glance, having the broadcast television debut for UFC last only 73 seconds seems like a bad thing. When Junior Dos Santos pounced on Cain Velasquez about a minute into the main event of UFC on Fox 1, winning the Heavyweight Championship with a first-round knockout, my first thought was "this is it?"
In the interests of full disclosure, I must admit that I am a boxing fan. If there is such a thing as a war between the sweet science and UFC, I have been firmly in the camp of boxing. But UFC has become so popular in recent years that it has been hard to ignore, so I decided to give UFC a try in its broadcast television debut.
In reality, boxing and mixed martial arts aren't mutually exclusive of course. There is no rule that says one must like only one sport or the other.
Yes, it would have been great for UFC if both Velasquez and Dos Santos battled each other for five grueling rounds with plenty of back-and-forth action. But a lightning-quick victory isn't necessarily bad. I think back to Mike Tyson stunning Michael Spinks in a minute and a half in 1988; that boxing match was a very hyped event, but the quickness of the victory didn't take away from the festivities. In fact, it was part of what made Tyson Tyson.
The last two UFC heavyweight title fights have produced one-round upsets, as Velasquez beat Brock Lesnar for the title in October 2010. The unpredictability of the result can add intrigue to the sport. Dos Santos will move on eventually to fight the winner of Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 on December 30 in Las Vegas.
After watching the events in Anaheim on Saturday night, I'm more inclined to watch UFC going forward. After all, you never know what might happen.
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