the buzz log

Interest in the UFC peaked this weekend thanks to a heavily-hyped fight card. The mixed-martial arts circuit was on the receiving end of blanket coverage from the mainstream media and sports outlets that had previously ignored them. Did the big buildup pay off in Buzz?

The answer is a bone-rattling yes. Searches on the Ultimate Fighting Championship scaled new heights thanks to massive interest in UFC 71. The octagon shaped ring spawned searches running the gamut from "ufc 71 weigh ins" to "ufc 71 post fight." Before the first punch was thrown, searches on "ufc 71 odds," "ufc 71 pay per view," and "ufc 71 fight card" grappled with Buzz.

The card's main event was a battle for the light-heavyweight belt between title holder Chuck Liddell and challenger Quinton Jackson. Liddell entered the ring buffeted by unprecedented buzz for a UFC fighter, with related searches on "chuck liddell pics," "iceman chuck liddell," and "chuck liddell highlights" all smashing the Search box.

However, Liddell was floored in the first round of the bout by his underdog opponent. That shocking knockout set off a flurry of queries on Jackson, who goes by the cuddly nickname "Rampage." Searches on the new champ soared 1,200% after he put the Iceman in a deep freeze. Related searches on "ufc rampage jackson," "liddell jackson fight video," and "quinton jackson video."

On the Web, the UFC experienced a bit of a backlash to its mounting hype, but in the Buzz there's truly no contest. The sport has been a mainstay in Search for years now and has knocked boxing flat on the canvas as evidenced by this graph of searches over the past two months...