Issue 119
September 2014
Asia’s largest promotion, ONE FC, will hold 10 events per year in mainland China, starting with four before the end of 2014. It marks a large commitment both to ONE FC’s growth and to the young Chinese MMA market for the three-year-old promotion which has only held 18 events to date.
The move into the world’s most populous country comes via a new agreement with event promoter AMC Live Group.
ONE FC CEO Victor Cui said: “ONE FC will be available to over one billion people in China alone and will bring adrenaline-pumping mixed martial arts action to 10 different cities across the country a year.
“The landscape of mixed martial arts will be changed forever as China welcomes ONE FC.”
Although the UFC has booked three events in Macau, a special administrative region of China, the Las Vegas promotion is yet to visit the Chinese mainland, an area where the domestic Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation (RUFF) says it is the only MMA organization approved by the Chinese government.
ONE FC has so far organized shows in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan (Republic of China) and Cambodia.
Industry Jobs
Who: Mike Constantino
Info: President of Cage Fury Fighting Championship, head coach to the likes of the UFC’s Jim Miller at AMA Fight Club, owner of MMA management company MVC
When you left your previous job to open your own gym in 2004 what were the biggest unforeseen challenges or hurdles you had to overcome to stay on the path to success and growth?
“The hardest part was having the confidence to open a martial arts school with no students to start and a huge overhead, rent, and so on. This was before The Ultimate Fighter boom. The current times compared to then are so different.”
If you could get your hands on any fighter in mixed martial arts, who would you most want to have train under you and be under your guidance at AMA?
“I would like to have Melvin Guillard. He is so talented and I believe that he could gain immensely by coming to train at AMA.”
In December of 2012 you were one of the inaugural inductees into the New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame (as ‘MMA Trainer of the Year’). Can you put in to words what an honor that was?
“It was an amazing experience and I was so honored. To be inducted along with Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida, two fighters I have been watching from day one, was quite surreal. I was also truly honored to be selected among so many great trainers here in New Jersey.”
2nd
High roller Dana White’s penchant for gambling big money reportedly caused a second rift between the UFC boss and the Palms casino in Las Vegas.
World Series of Fighting gets Asia and Europe TV deals
Las Vegas organization World Series of Fighting (WSOF), home to fighters such as Jon Fitch and Rousimar Palhares, has scored TV deals in Asia and Europe.
Mixed martial arts fans in South East Asia will be able to watch WSOF events on 24-hour action channel Kix, while French-speaking Europe and some African territories can see the action on the Kombat Sport channel.
IMG Media brokered the deals on behalf of WSOF.
It’s estimated Las Vegas’ under-construction MGM-AEG Arena will cost around $350m. It’s likely to be the new home of the UFC in Vegas when it opens in 2016.
Rallying/Crashed: The MMA business can be cruel and kind
Rallying: Invicta FC
Co-founded by former IFL, Strikeforce and UFC employee Shannon Knapp in 2012, Invicta FC quickly established itself as the go-to promotion for fans of women’s mixed martial arts. A slow past 12 months have been bolstered by the recent deal the company struck with the UFC, to have Invicta events and archive video content available to view on UFC Fight Pass.
Crashed: Shark Fights
Texas promotion Shark Fights started small in 2008 before going all-in with an impressive September 2010 pay-per-view card stacked with non-UFC talent such as Keith Jardine, Paul Daley and Tarec Saffiedine. Despite increased media attention, Shark Fights couldn’t maintain the momentum or star power, holding its last event just over a year later.
