With prime-time slot, mixed martial arts in clinch with mainstream

LOS ANGELES — After coming on strong among young men in the last several years, the sport of mixed martial arts is headed for a clinch with mainstream pop culture.

This Saturday, CBS will become the first legacy network to show full matches in prime time. In the wee hours after "Saturday Night Live," NBC is airing a series with fighter profiles and bout footage. Two movies set in the MMA world hit theaters in recent months, including one by acclaimed writer David Mamet, and more are on the way.

But can the brutal sport of chokeholds and sharp elbows truly cross over?

Karo Parisyan says it already has.

"Grandmas have recognized me before on the street," the Armenian fighter said during a break during training at his friend's backyard gym in the San Fernando Valley. "Grandmas! I'm like 'Do you watch UFC?' And they're like 'Yeah, my son watches it and I sit there and watch with him.'"

Parisyan is part of the sport's dominant organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A series highlighting pros' stories in and out of the ring, "The Ultimate Fighter," is the highest rated original series on Spike TV, averaging nearly 2 million viewers over seven seasons.

A much-touted fight between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Dan "Hollywood" Henderson drew 5.8 million viewers to the network last season; that's comparable to TNT's audience for last week's NBA playoff games.

Nielsen ratings don't tell the whole story.

Widely circulated Internet videos reflect MMA's underground roots. They were part of "Never Back Down," the formulaic kid-learns-to-fight tale that took in over $30 million worldwide since its March release.

And they made a star of bearded 34-year-old Kevin Ferguson, known as Kimbo Slice. He's only fought in two pro matches, winning both. But online clips of him convincingly pounding nightclub bouncers in Miami backyards, filmed by the pornography outfit where he was working as a bodyguard, drew millions of viewers.

Ferguson, who according to MMA lore named one of his six kids Kevlar, is the main attraction on CBS' first card. He's been doing the publicity rounds for the network, including donning a cowboy hat to present Rascal Flatts with a trophy at the recent CBS-televised Academy of Country Music Awards.