How often have you heard that question pop out of somebody's mouth when you mention professional wrestling? It's a question I've heard countless times. These days I answer it with a roll of the eyes, a simple "yes" and leave it at that. The Undertaker put it best several years ago: For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation will do. And to tell you the truth, I'm getting tired of trying to apologize for WWE.

Yes, I meant to single out WWE. There is some outstanding wrestling out there (TNA and ROH, for example), but it has not been evident on Raw or Smackdown lately. Now Shane McMahon is back and claiming that he'll "take out the trash" next week. Fine. But he'd better bring along a big trash bag, since there is way more wrong with Raw than simply Eric Bischoff.

So while I was doing some online Christmas shopping here at Shop Insanity this week, the "Yes, I Know Wrestling's Fake" tee shirt caught my eye. And it suddenly dawned on me why I like UFC so much. I don't have to apologize for it.

Mentioning MMA or ultimate fighting will usually be taken seriously and lead to a spirited discussion. Conversely, the latest antics of WWE will invariably be met with a wink, a snicker, or even a horse laugh.

Of course, UFC is not without its detractors. Too violent. Too brutal. Well, too bad. I would venture to say it's a whole lot less of a "blood sport" than Raw, a show where the crimson mask is all too common (although the people who think wrestling is fake probably think it's just ketchup).

UFC is still trying to live down it's past, but has made great strides in that area. When Lorenzo Fertitta and his brother, Frank, formed Zuffa, LLC (appropriately enough, "zuffa" means to fight in Italian) and purchased UFC in January of 2001, it had a reputation for brutality. But Zuffa developed a game plan to turn that negative image around and has been highly successful in implementing it.

I first became acquainted with UFC through another venture of the Fertitta brothers. Last year, the Discovery Channel began airing a series called "American Casino" (which now airs Thursday nights on the Travel Channel). The star of the show was the Green Valley Ranch Hotel and Casino, an upscale hotel in Las Vegas owned by none other than the Fertittas. While the show's focus was the inner workings of the hotel business, UFC was liberally woven through it.

But it left me wanting to see more of UFC. Then along came Spike TV and "The Ultimate Fighter." It was a stroke of genius to present ultimate fighting in a reality show format, as newcomers to the sport were able to digest it in small bites. Those bites obviously left viewers hungry for more, since the UFC has become more and more of a presence on Spike TV in recent months and the ratings for the TUF2 finale show far exceeded expectations.

After two successful seasons of "The Ultimate Fighter," a third season is scheduled to debut next spring. Sure, WWE could say (and probably has) that it created the concept for TUF with "Tough Enough." Unlike "Tough Enough," however, the object of TUF was to make stars, not chew them up and spit them out the way WWE did with all their Tough Enough winners. But that's a rant for another day.

Nope, no apologies necessary for UFC--it's the real deal.

And, Shane...if you're serious about taking out the trash on next week's Raw, bring along a dumpster rather than a Glad bag. 

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