Jason "Mayhem" Miller is the new MMA PR Rep

First off...I am going to watch this show. Even though it has the potential to be bad...REALLY REALLY bad. It's a risk I'm willing to take...Mayhem is a funny bastard and I would probably watch it even if it were hosted by Tito Ortiz. In fact, at this point, I would watch a group of MMA fighters paint a house.

At face value, this looks like a good thing for MMA. MTV is a great springboard for reaching the tween/teen/college crowd. In addition, any current MMA fans will still be a fan regardless of how bad it is.

However, this could be a"new fan repellent" if it stinks. People that are not fans currently or those on the fence could see this as a reflection of the sport and if that reflection is unsightly...they will judge and move away quickly.

Yes I know...TUF sometimes does the same thing. The only difference is that with TUF everyone on the show are actually fighters striving to move up a level. This show just has a "bully" fighting an MMA fighter...seems fair.

Plus, it seems clear that TUF has actually increased the number of MMA fans. That may not be the case with this show...I mean...it's MTV. If you think that the sport doesn't need new fans then you are foolish.

There is a direct correlation between number of fans a sport has and the amount of money that the athletes of that sport can make. There is also a correlation between money that an athlete can make and the quality of the athletes playing. The last jump is the easiest...the better the athlete the better the fights and the healthier the sport becomes.

To continue to grow, MMA needs new fans.

So, the reality is that Jason "Mayhem" Miller (and MTV editors...yikes) may hold a certain amount of sway of how many incremental fans the sport acquires over the course of the shows life.

I have my fingers crossed, you should too.