Iron Ring MMA Now Airing on BET Network
Published by on March 25th, 2008 in History

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By MMAMemories.com

Black Entertainment Television (BET), which is aimed at the African-American audience, has jumped into the mixed martial arts fray. Its initial show, “Iron Ring,” is airing on Tuesday nights at 11 PM ET. The show is certainly tailored for the demographic, with a hip-hop cultural feel and an assortment of celebrity owners and participants. Three different weight classes are in play in this series – lightweights, middleweights and heavyweights. And there is a reality angle to the program, which follows along the lines of the UFC’s enormously successful “Ultimate Fighter” series on Spike TV.

There is definitely some star power in the people behind the teams, who were, by and large, the focus of the first installment of the series. There is “Team Luda,” which is headed up by rap star Ludacris; “Team Nelly,” controlled by the rapper of the same name; the “Money Mayweather Boys,” which lists Floyd Mayweather, known as the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer (who is currently engaged in a WWE angle with The Big Show) as its owner. Another rapper, T.I. (aka Tip Harris) pilots “Team Grand Hustle”; hip-hop group Dipset has, most appropriately, “Team Dipset,” and the King of Crunk – Lil John – is the man at the helm of the “Head Busters.”

Each team has its own coach as well as competitors in each of the aforementioned weight divisions. With name fighters not necessarily in abundance, it is a good bet that much of the emphasis will be on the participation of the celebrity owners and their interaction with the fighters and matches that will comprise the “competition” part of the program.

The show carries a certain degree of importance in that it demonstrates the first real attempt to reach out specifically to the African-American demographic. If it is successful, it would open up a brand new door for MMA promoters, since it would demonstrate a wider audience – within the younger demographic – that is attracted to mixed martial arts. That expands the pie, which is good for everyone.