Well, I've had a chance to read a number of things about the UFC, the roots of the organization, the increase in control to prevent harm to the fighters, and just recently the stink that Boxing has been making about the UFC.

A positive view about the differences.
Another positive view about the UFC
A negative view of the UFC

Me?  I know enough about boxing to be unimpressed with the organization.  I just recently read the Sports Illustrated cover article on the UFC, and had a chance to learn the inner workings of the organization.  I think 'organization' is exactly why the UFC is doing so well.  They're leading the MMA world, and keeping everything in-house. The UFC, lead by Dana White, has a contract with all the fighters who sign into the UFC.  If you're in the UFC, you don't fight anywhere else.  The reason for this is simple -- all you need is one critical injury or a fatality in some non-UFC-sanctioned fight, and the UFC could suffer a huge publicity hit.  They keep their fighters trained, keep an eye on everything being legit and safe, and keep a large stable of fighters who they can put onto cards very quickly.

Good business sense.

Boxing isn't like that.  In boxing, you have a fighter, who is part of a manager's 'stable'.  The manager talks with other managers, and tries to organize fights, and then brings it together with the boxing association of choice, who will then hype the fight and make the proper arrangements.  The training and upkeep of the fighters is in the hands of the managers, and the Association is there mostly to make sure the rules are followed, and very little else.

Managers exist in the UFC, as well as Camps, groups of fighters who train together and share techniques, make sure the fighter is healthy, looked after, and heals well after each fight they're in.  If a fighter can't make an event, sometimes the camp will offer the UFC an alternative fighter to fill in the gaps.  You'd almost never see that in boxing... and really, the fans of the UFC don't mind these swaps from time to time.  Yes, managers also negotiate contracts for their fighters in the UFC (exposure, advertising, payment for fights), but it isn't the same as in boxing (which is all about money and exposure ... but mostly in the manager getting a good paycheque).

What is good for the manager, however, isn't always what's good for the business.  And that's the big problem for boxing at the moment -- managers are killing the business.

Cards.  Let's talk about fight cards.  In boxing, because of the length of the fights, you'll see one, maybe two fights per 'show'.  In the UFC, you'll see at least five.  They'll go from 5 minutes to 15 minutes per fight, but you'll get a number of fights.  So even if the Champion loses in the first 2 minutes of the first round, at least you got to see another four fights on top of that.  In boxing, if the Champ loses in the first 2 minutes (or wins), the audience just shelled out $400 for a 2-minute showing.  That's it, fight is over, everyone go home.  Is it worth it?  Hell no.  The typical UFC event has about 8 or 9 fights on the card.  You'll see about half of those (or perhaps more) in the PPV, but if you're there, you'll see all the fights.  $200 for 8-9 MMA matches?  I doubt anyone will feel especially ripped off.

Safety.  Let's talk about safety.  In boxing, if someone is clubbed down, they've got 10 seconds (or was it 20?) to stand and get back into the game.  Boxers are expected to get back up and continue.  For round after round, back and forth, blows to the face and chest.  If a boxer drops, when there's any suspicion they could continue fighting, they're very likely out of the business.  'Quitting' isn't allowed in boxing.  Hell, throwing in the towel from the manager's side is usually a serious blow to the fighter's reputation.

In the UFC, Dana White was explicit when he was talking to one of the fighters in the Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show -- if you're injured, and don't think you can go on, stop.  Your health is more important.  To him, a fighter's health is more important than a win on the score card, and more important than the fighter's ego.  Losing one match because you got cracked upside the head or your arm was hyper-extended isn't a death knell -- it is grounds for another match later to settle the score.  The second you're knocked out, the ref stops the fight right there.  If the ref doesn't think you can defend yourself intelligently?  He stops the fight.  If you tap out, you're free to go.  No shame... you train harder and try again later.

There's none of this one-hour of getting punched in the face repeatedly until the fighter passes out or the judges decide who won.  The refs are there to make sure the fighters are constantly active, and also to make sure the fighters are capable of fighting.  Between the two sports, it is the UFC who ensures the health of their fighters, and who has the safer sport.  There are less serious injuries in the UFC than there is in boxing.

Now, let's talk about the bad-mouthing that's been going on.
There's been accusations among boxing fans (and sport announcers) that the UFC is full of street fighters, drug addicts, criminals, and scum.  I think they got the wrong sport ... boxing has had a terrible reputation, including mafia-controlled fighters, thrown fights, drug problems, and criminals.  The UFC has some 'street fighters', certainly, but the moment that 'street fighter' signs into the UFC, those are left behind.  You can't fight outside the UFC, so you're not a street fighter anymore.  And you have to pull your weight in the UFC to stay in -- you need to train, put on good fights, and prove yourself.  You may sign up with a camp, you may not... but you're not a 'punk' anymore.

Drug problems?  The UFC threw out two fighters who tested positive for drugs -- there's been only two.  One of them was a Champion at the time.  Guess what?  He went out, detoxed, was a gentleman about it, and they let him get his second chance.  He did it too, worked hard to get up to the top, and won his belt back.  The other guy's just gone.  They don't tolerate that sort of thing in the UFC.

And let's talk about education.  Former police officers, former college professors, people using the UFC to pay for their university courses, UFC champions who use their paycheques to buy equipment for their family farm.  The UFC's got ex-military fighting in the Octagon.  They have all sorts, and most of them are quite respectable.

Hell, look at Ken Shamrock.  I don't respect him as a person, hell, I don't like him, but I give him credit for what he does outside the Octagon, and how he looks after his family.  The guy's arrogant, but he's a good family man.  And they've mentioned a few times that some of the fighters have a family of two or three -- they feed their kids on these fights.

Another good reason to have huge fight cards -- it feeds a lot of people.

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As I see it, while MMA may not replace boxing, I do see it overtaking and overshadowing boxing.  It will be the alternative of choice.  It is a science, more so now than boxing is, and the fighters are better treated, well looked after, and deserve praise more than most official boxers do.  The UFC has become a very respectable organization, and I hope to see it continue to grow as it has so far.  Boxing?  I don't want to see the sport die, I want to see the people running it take a good, hard look at how the UFC runs things, and then fix the problems boxing faces.  Clean up the sport, make it respectable, and move ahead.  Evolve, or die.