Full Contact Talk: MMA discussion

It has been rumored for a while that veteran boxing promoter Don King was interested in entering the mixed-martial-arts business. Some would say such a move is necessary with talk of professional boxing’s decline in national popularity and shrinking pay-per-view sales. But of course the MMA-verus-boxing debate is a fiery topic and the verdict is still out with regard to boxing’s economic survival and fanbase statistics.

On Saturday, September 27 in Concord, North Carolina, Vengeance Fighting Championship makes its debut under the distant umbrella of Don King Productions via DonKingTv.com which is the internet branch of King’s promotions. At first glance the Vengeance FC card featuring two icons of MMA in that of Jeff Monson and Mark Kerr, seems like a potentially entertaining night of mixed-martial-arts. But Don King’s low profile and near vacant marketing for this event paints the picture that King’s debut MMA promotion is simply a testing of the waters.

Also consider that Don King’s entrance into MMA is a polarizing concept to many. Maybe King is aware of this situation thus explaining why King is also co-promoting a boxing card with Golden Boy Promotions featuring Ricardo Mayorga and Shane Mosley in Carson, California on HBO the same night. King has been criticized for many years within the boxing world. And such criticism is turned up in volume amongst a large majority of the MMA community. But no matter the potential criticism of Don King, thus far the debut Vengeance FC card is respectfully stacked.

Personally, I am very excited to see Jeff Monson and Mark Kerr clash as well as BJJ legend Carlson Gracie and John Savage. The following video is a Vengeance FC commercial currently running on television in the North Carolina market.

Fight Card as follows:

Jeff Monson vs. Mark Kerr

John Savage vs. Carlson Gracie

Denis Gomes vs. Carmelo Marrero

Cale Yarbrough vs. Andy Curtiss

Rodney Wallace vs. Quince St. Preux

Ryan Lamareaux vs. Mackens Semerzier

Jeremiah Brandon Brown vs. Matt Covan

Brian Keller vs. Steve Linton

Chris Herring vs. Joel Wyatt

Hallie Hair vs. Ryan Bedini

Rusty Haun vs. Tony Moenich

Nick Blake vs. Patrick Needham

Mike Turner vs. Nate Davis

Sylvain Bynum vs. Jeff Bricker

The official Vengeance FC website