For people who are fans of fighting and televised fighting, the following news could really go either way. As the NYT reports:

CBS is looking to the organizers of a popular competition called mixed martial arts (MMA) to supply some programming for the often-overlooked Saturday night time slot.

“It’s original programming for Saturday night, it’s live, creating an event atmosphere, and it’s something that hasn’t been seen on network television, until now,” Kelly Kahl, the chief scheduler for CBS, said in a press release.

[linemansfactory.com]

On the one hand, it means increased visibility for this growing sport, which would mean more televised events, and maybe even an opportunity for other organizations to put fights together, not just the fat bully, UFC. On the other hand, CBS? CBS? That presents a very real possibility that the visceral excitement of an admittedly (proudly) hyper-violent competition might be transformed into something else altogether.

Please, CBS, just don’t make your broadcasts of MMA become the this of fighting:

In related news, only two weeks until YOUR TEENAGE HEART LITERALLY MELTS.