Issue 114
May 2014
To use a narrative we’re all perhaps familiar with, British MMA is currently tied up in a mean Thai clinch taking knees to the midsection. Mixed martial arts across Europe, in fact, is experiencing a sobering transition period outside the cage, even though the talent pool competing within it is stronger than ever.
Ringside advertisers and fighter shorts sponsors are dwindling. The number of EU clothing and apparel manufacturers, along with both
online and high street retailers, is very much on the decrease, while arenas, sports centres and community halls are all suffering from too few bums on seats.
It’s a tough time for the industry, and yet if the past decade or so has shown us anything it’s that times of opportunity and rapid growth will likely follow. Perhaps most frustratingly, it’s a totally different story across the Atlantic where MMA throughout North America and down in Brazil is booming.
The sport won its penultimate battle with mainstream America when UFC fight cards were televised on Fox Sports alongside the NFL and MLB, and now only the New York City naysayers have to wave their white flag before the war for total acceptance is finally won.
Meanwhile, back in Blighty, and regardless of the shudder the term sends down the spine of every fighter, fan and practitioner, mixed martial arts continues to be referred to in the mainstream as ‘cage fighting’ and until that term is abandoned by the masses MMA’s fight for acceptance will continue.
The sport has made huge leaps here over the past decade, with the rate of gyms and mixed martial arts classes springing up in towns and cities across Europe showing no sign of abating. And the quality of fighters from the continent is more talent-rich than ever before.
But while North Americans accept their sports as entertainment, us Brits still maintain heritage and good form is what’s important. Substance over style, you could say. And while the history of individual martial arts are as deep rooted as any cricket stump, MMA is so new it doesn’t even have a governing body. And to Brits at least, that’s a dangerous obstacle.
MMA has something of an impossible mission, especially here in Europe where sporting traditions run centuries deep. It’s trying to not only build but legitimise a sport in reverse that’s already being broadcast live on TV. While elite-level athletes compete inside huge arenas in front of huge audiences on subscription channels, at grassroots level there remains all too little in the way of any infrastructure.
Organisations like the UK MMA Federation (UKMMAF) and Safe MMA aren’t perfect, far from it. But they’re a significant step in the right direction. And without the support of the rest of the industry, mixed martial arts in the UK, and indeed Europe, will continue to take two steps forward and one back.
So ask yourself this: what can I do for MMA, rather than what can MMA do for me? Perhaps you could volunteer to simply collect subs at your local MMA club. Or offer to lend your support to a fundraiser to purchase new mats. Or you may even have professional skills that could provide a tool for the UKMMAF team.
Whatever you can offer I promise you this. You’ll be welcomed with open arms, and instead of simply being a
fan of mixed martial arts, you could
be a part of its future. British MMA is only going in one direction, and with your time and support it’ll get there even faster.
UFC’s emea evolution
The UFC has come in for a little criticism from UK fight fans following the screening of the UFC Fight Night London main event on Channel 5, but the move is not aimed or designed to satisfy hardcore MMA aficionados. The Channel 5 coverage is intended to pull in new fans, which is why the studio hosting was done by an MMA novice in boxing presenter Mark Pougatch.
Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin was brought in to provide the professional angle, although in hindsight perhaps Forrest and his unique sense of humour may not have been the ideal candidate to play ‘Welcome to MMA: 1-0-1’.
Surely someone with a little more on-sceen presence, like Chael Sonnen, would have worked far better. But these are early days for the new EMEA set-up and simply being live on ‘free’ TV was a huge leap forward for the UFC here in the UK. Especially with the network revealing figures peaked at just shy of one million viewers.
Speaking of home viewers, it was for the best that new European commentary team Dany Hardy and John Gooden were kept in the dark about the potential viewing figures heading into the event. The Brit pack double act seamlessly slipped into their new roles and proved to be an immediate hit with fans. Worldwide.
Dana White revealed at the post-fight press conference the event had hit 194 million homes across Europe on TV, while an additional 350 million prospective fans had access to the Fight Pass service, which went live for the first time to 178 countries.
“You’re joking?” said Gooden, when I repeated the numbers to him riding the tube back from the O2 Arena afterwards. While Hardy added: “Man, am I glad I didn’t know about that when the cameras were rolling.”
