After last night's sub-par fiasco, most wondered how the mainstream would react to MMA's breakthrough broadcast on network TV. With the help of Google News (don't laugh), I've gathered snippets from various news outlets:

New York Times :

"The CBS announcer Gus Johnson looked into the camera and proclaimed the evening — the sport’s live debut on network television — “the dawn of an era in American sports.”

...

Slice, 6 feet 2 inches and 235.5 pounds, gave the fans and the organizers what they had hoped for in the third organized bout of his career, although he had to work harder to win than in his previous fights. The bout was ended by a disputed decision, with the referee calling a technical knockout in favor of Slice. Thompson was bleeding from his ear, and the bout was stopped 38 seconds into the third round.

...

The next bout, between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith, was a dull affair. The officials stopped it in the third round after what they deemed an accidental foul — Smith took a thumb in his right eye — and the bout was declared a no contest. But that fight was quickly forgotten when Slice stole the show."

South Florida Sun-Sentinel :

"So the real issue is if this is your cage of tea. Do you enjoy watching a sport whose primary goal is to make someone a vegetable? Again, there's no difference between liking this and liking boxing, except boxing has a lineage of greatness like Muhammad Ali, who now stands as Evidence A of its fundamental problem.

MMA doesn't have a timeline to measure pain yet. It has Kimbo Slice, who was once homeless and is now a media creation, according to the sport's purists. But there he was on prime-time TV Saturday, cashing checks."

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