• The New York Times, Friday, May 25, 2007 11 AM

The success of mixed martial arts, usually measured by the progress of the heavily marketed Ultimate Fighting Championship, has been building for a while, but the sport seems to have finally hit the mainstream -- at least in the media's collective mind.

It is Sports Illustrated's cover story this week; champ Chuck Liddell graced the front of ESPN the Magazine; and "60 Minutes" recently ran a piece about the sport. And the hype will only help Saturday night's fight between Liddell and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in Las Vegas, before a crowd of more than 13,000 and a gate of $4.4 million.

But to Dana White, head of the UFC, that major news organizations are now recognizing MMA's appeal just shows how behind the curve they are. "No disrespect to the media, but this has been the hottest thing for 18-to-34 males for the past few years," he says. "The media franchises are supposed to have their finger on the pulse of things, but they've been way behind here."

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