"How many fake-ass fighters would we see down at the bar with their Tapout shirts saying that their time is coming. Shit, you know they don't train. If it was easy, all of those guys would be in there. I don't know man, I don't want any part of that."

This is a quote from one of my old interviews with Jens Pulver. He said this back in 2007, however it may apply even more today. One can consistently find twenty and thirty-year-old men in the gym working out with their TapouT shirts on, punching each other in the abs while they do sit ups. Everyone knows that they probably do not do any actual mixed-martial-arts training, however they have this false perception that they are some kind of brave warrior that is ready to step in the Octagon at any minute.

All of this raises the question: Is MMA the new Poker?

Everyone remembers when poker got big back in 2003. We all watched as Chris Moneymaker tore through all of the professional poker players, whom we had never heard of, to win the World Series of Poker. After that, the sport exploded. Millions joined online poker leagues, poker hit huge deals with ESPN and NBC, branded poker rooms became a staple in every casino and guys like Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth became household names.

Now fast-forward a bit to April 9th, 2005. In most minds, this date marks the arrival of MMA. On this night, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar competed against each other to see who would become the first "Ultimate Fighter." Throughout the three rounds, both fighters absolutely annihilated each other in what was a ratings hit. More and more people kept tuning into Spike throughout the fight because their friends had called them and told them that they needed to watch. Dana White refers to Griffin-Bonnar as "the most important fight in UFC history."

When compared, one realizes that the rise of poker and that of MMA are very similar. Poker's rise is generally credited to online poker, the World Series of Poker being televised, the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, television commercials, and Chris Moneymaker. The rise of MMA is often attributed to The Ultimate Fighter, the downfall of boxing, TapouT, the purchase of PRIDE, and Kimbo Slice. See the similarities?

Comparison #1: The Downfall of Another Sport

In order for poker and MMA to get big, another sport had to get out of the way. In poker's case it was hockey. The NHL did not have a 2004-05 regular season. It returned the next year, but it has never had the same popularity. This was perfect for poker because the World Series of Poker Circuit Tournament is the same time as hockey season. With hockey being off of television, this gave more room to show poker on ESPN. Also, it gained a bigger share of a sporting fan's interest. With the extra TV spots, poker was primetime television. Plus, with the hockey lockout, sporting fans may have been more interested in a sport that has no contracts like poker or MMA. People were tired of pay raises going to players who made too much already and did not perform on the field.

In MMA's case it was its weird older cousin, boxing. As Joe Rogan said in 2007, "The famous people that (boxing has) right now are the only famous people that are going to exist in the future." Boxing had been dying for a long time and it needed a new...