Issue 014

June 2006

Recent events in the MMA world have seen top ranked fighters fall from grace, losing world titles (and legions of fans) along the way. At the other end of the scale, up-and-comers claw their way through the ranks, increasing in profile through their efforts and making a name for themselves in fans eyes. 

It’s a truism like no other that everyone loves a winner. When a mixed martial arts athlete is at the top of their game, seemingly unstoppable and destroying everyone they meet, their status increases tenfold. All of a sudden, scores of fans come out of the woodwork, claiming to have supported them all along, when in fact they are merely jumping on what is known as ‘the bandwagon’. 

Another well-known yet equally problematic fan is known as ‘the nuthugger’. This eloquent and oh-so-descriptive term refers to a fan who rides the nuts of a given fighter- i.e. that they are such a fan that their support of a fighter goes past the normal realms of favouritism and actually becomes something bordering on blind obsession. 

One can argue that this is not a bad thing, and indeed, every fight needs their supporters. Fans may get behind their chosen fighters and support them with plenty of enthusiasm, but a dangerous side effect of placing your faith in any one fighter is a terrible case of short sightedness. 

All too often, people buy into the marketing and the excitement factor, and they do the one thing everyone should be wary of. They actually begin to believe the hype. 

It shouldn’t need to be said that this isn’t a particularly clever thing to do. Letting yourself fall into the trap of supporting a fighter just because everyone reckons he is the ‘next big thing’, or suddenly becoming a fighter’s staunchest supporter after one big win, is not an especially good thing for either the fan or the fight. 

Invariably, the fighter will lose at some point, and the fans end up getting their hearts broken and egg on their faces (from the times they said that their fighter could take on anyone, hold all the world titles, armbar a bear etc). 

What no one realises though, is where this leaves the fighter. You see it all too often, that after a big loss, they end up on the scrap heap. Fans desert them in droves, disgusted that the fighter of their choice has disappointed them by daring to lose. 

In part, it is actually the fans who set these fighters up for a fall. What many fans do not realise, is that while certain fighters may play up to the cameras and sell themselves a little, most fighters are quiet and unassuming, and simply want to get on with their training ready for their next fight. There aren’t that many MMA fighters who strut around proclaiming that they are the greatest and they should be facing the champion of so-and-so. 

Fans pick up on a decent fighter and can often inflate his reputation by the gathering of a swell of support. When these fans start becoming vocal, they start suggesting that their fighter is far better than their actual ability, and that they should challenge someone out of their league. 

When the promoters pick up on this fan-pleasing match, they see something with which they can sell their event. The promoter’s number one priority is to make money of course, and while they often have vested interest in specific fighters, this usually stops at their particular champions. If they see something that will sell tickets and get an audience going, and they will put it on, regardless of if a fighter is overmatched. The fighter who was pushed (albeit indirectly) into the match by his fans then loses, and sits there in disbelief as his fans abandon him. An oft-used piece of imagery is that of the fighter’s bandwagon, crashed and burnt out, lying idle next to the side of the road, devoid of the passengers it once had. 

In fairness, it is not all the fan’s fault. Fans are there to support their fighters, and fighters are there to fight. The real danger often lies in bad management. 

The most dangerous fan of all is the one who is the fighter’s manager. If a manager is a fan of his own fighter, then the support that he gives him as a result will directly influence and cloud his judgement when planning out their career. 

When the fans buy into the hype and decide that due to their fighter’s good performance they are now ready for a crack at the world stage, it should be the manager who decides the next move, not the promoters or the fans. 

Too many good fighters have been wiped out by opposition they just weren’t ready for, because they were wholly unprepared for them. You can forgive a fan for believing his fighter is the greatest, but its shocking when a manager decides that his charge can compete with the international names when they blatantly can’t. 

A fighter’s handlers should be shrewd and cunning in their treatment of their man. Careful management often gets slated as ‘protecting’ an athlete, but it makes sense to keep a fighter at a level where they can develop their skills and properly mature, before thrusting them into the limelight. 

The UK in particular has seen a rash of incidents like the ones mentioned above. Fighters with bags of potential and who could have gone far were thrown in with the sharks, harming their careers and their confidence. Too many fighters get pushed too hard, too soon. Though this is the usual tactic of MMA managers and promoters, fans have a responsibility as well. Support your fighter with everyone you’ve got, but make sure you prepared for the moment they lose (it will happen) and don’t desert them if they do. They put too much on the line to deserve that.