Issue 059

February 2010

This is a topic I’ve covered in this column before, so for those of you who might think the following sounds somewhat familiar, please forgive me. In the three-plus years I’ve used this page to share my thoughts on the sport with you, I’ve managed to go that time without revisiting the same talking point twice. But I have a good reason for going over old ground.  

I’ve mentioned before the importance of fighters behaving like professionals, in and out of the ring. It seems I’m not the only one mindful of this, as the UFC recently conducted something known as ‘The Summit’.  

Bringing all of their contracted fighters together (yes, all 200+ of them) in Las Vegas for a series of seminars and workshops in November, Zuffa wanted to train their fighters. Not training in the sense that these athletes are used to; there were no workouts or rounds of sparring. Instead, Zuffa wanted to teach their fighters how to become more professional.  

This entailed a couple of days spent in a classroom-type set-up, meeting with everyone from Jennifer Wenk (Zuffa’s head of PR) to Marc Ratner (former Nevada State Athletic Commissioner, now a lynchpin in Zuffa’s operational set-up). Of course, Dana White was there too (as was Lorenzo Fertitta, which should give you an idea as to the scale and gravity of this entire thing).  

The purpose of this summit was to get the fighters up to speed on, and comfortable with, the kind of things the modern-day mixed-martial-arts athlete might face. From the intricacies of rules and regulations to dealing with the media, the summit covered a range of topics designed to equip the UFC’s fighters with the knowledge required to successfully operate at the highest level of the game.  

The fighters were even taught how to successfully market themselves, with consultants flown in to share with them the benefits of new media and social networking. Yes, Zuffa actually got someone to teach their guys how best to connect with fans on Twitter and Facebook (mini-blogs and status updates, Okay. War Machine-type rants, not OK).  

You might think this all seems like a lot of effort for little perceivable reward. To fly their entire roster of fighters to Las Vegas, and accommodate them, must have put a dent in Zuffa’s piggy bank, yet this was in fact a clever and rather shrewd investment on their part.  

As the sport continues to grow (mostly due to Zuffa’s relentless expansion and non-stop efforts to take the sport to as wide a market as possible) there will be an increased demand for the athletes to behave professionally, both in front of, and away from, the cameras.  

Many of the men who make up the ranks of the UFC are young (sometimes not-too bright) guys who have found themselves fighting in front of millions of people. When they were sweating blood in the gym it is doubtless that the very last thing on their mind was how to comport themselves professionally in front of the media, or how to build their name into a brand.  

Idiots like War Machine are a perfect example. A 185lb walking lump of testosterone, the fighter formerly known as John Koppenhaver was given his marching orders from the UFC for a series of very public, and very stupid, statements that criticized everyone from the UFC brass to the late Evan Tanner. Thankfully, War Machine never made it past the lowest rung of the UFC ladder and his comments were largely ignored. However, they highlighted that, to be a part of the UFC family, a fighter must know how to behave professionally as every single one of their actions could have repercussions on a larger scale and undo the UFC’s hard work.  

Imagine this: A group of fighters hit up a bunch of clubs in Vegas, get loaded and get into an altercation / get busted for drugs / get accused of sexual assault. What will the headlines read? ‘UFC fighter blah blah blah.’  

The UFC have done a smart thing here. They’ve not only taken the opportunity to educate their fighters on things such as how much time they have in the Octagon should they be the victim of a foul, they’ve also given them a foundation on how to become ambassadors for the sport. Ultimately, not everyone can be squeaky-clean and clean-cut like Georges St Pierre. The Canadian super-athlete benefits from a massive support network of managers, coaches and advisors able to guide him through the various aspects of his career. Some young kid from deepest, darkest Nowhereville who has won a few fights isn’t going to have that same level of support to count on, but, with Zuffa helping him out early in his career, he’s now in a better position to take advantage of the opportunities ahead of him should his career blossom.  

You can be taught a hundred different submissions but who’s going to teach you how to be a professional? The Summit was a landmark move from the people driving this sport forward like nobody else. Let’s hope it has the desired effect and we see a new wave of educated, polished young fighters emerge as a result.