FAIRFAX, Va. -- No, I didn't go to the Dark Side, as some of my Twitter followers have suggested. No, I haven't turned my back on boxing. And no, I'm not a traitor.

All I did was go to a UFC card. And you know what? I had a blast.

Contrary to what some small-minded folks on both sides of the ridiculous boxing-versus-MMA argument would have you believe, I'm here to tell you that the sports can peacefully co-exist and that fans of one sport can and certainly should be able to enjoy the other.

I'm not about to give up my passion for boxing -- and no, I'm not switching beats, as some MMA fans have advised -- but I have to admit that I enjoyed my first live MMA experience.

I live just a few minutes from the Patriot Center, located on the campus of George Mason University, which hosted "UFC on Fuel TV 3" on Tuesday night.

I was free because I no longer had to get ready for a Wednesday trip to Las Vegas, which went down the drain when the Lamont Peterson-Amir Khan rematch was canceled. I decided I'd check out the UFC card.

I've been to countless boxing events but never to an MMA card. As a boxing guy, I thought it would be interesting to go. UFC officials were happy to have me, and I'm glad I went -- even if my Twitter pal and UFC president Dana White picked my first card to miss his first one in 11 years. He was having minor surgery. I told him he was just ducking me.

Admittedly, I've never been even a casual MMA fan, although I certainly have never had anything against it. I've watched a little bit here and there on television, never with all that much interest. But going live is a different ballgame. The folks at UFC put on a great show, one that was a lot better in person than what I've seen on TV. Most boxing promoters could learn a thing or two from the way UFC handles the in-arena experience for fans.

There were six large screens strategically placed around the arena for fans to watch the television broadcast and replays. It was a fast-moving show with few lulls between fights (unlike many boxing events), and a lot of loud music.

I arrived in time for the fourth bout on the 12-fight card headlined by featherweight Chan Sung Jung -- better known as "The Korean Zombie," my new favorite MMA fighter -- facing Dustin Poirier.

One thing I'm getting used to is that the weight limits in MMA and boxing are entirely different. Featherweights are 126 pounds in boxing. I soon came to realize they are 145 pounds in UFC. (By the way, another thing I like about UFC is that there are only eight divisions, not the bloated 17 boxing has.)

As I was walking toward the arena, the first thing I saw was a guy wearing a "Korean Zombie" shirt. I knew I was in the right place.

I picked up my credential and press kit and made my way to -- dare I say it? -- cageside, where I was seated next to ESPN.com MMA writer and friend Franklin McNeil, who used to cover boxing. He promised to help me through the night. Sitting next to me on the other side was writer Gary Thomas from prommanow.com, who was also kind enough to answer my rookie questions.