Over two thousand years ago, tens of thousands of Roman citizens would crowd into the Coliseum to witness the brutal games of the gladiators. Today, a renaissance of violence has recaptured the hearts of men. Whether it is in the squared circle of wrestling and boxing, or in the infamous octagon of the UFC, millions of viewers tune in to watch the gritty fighting or pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to attend the bloody events.
Mixed martial arts, also known as MMA, is the newest kid on the block. Mixed martial arts is a full-contact combat sport, where the participants draw from a variety of martial arts, boxing and wrestling styles in order to devastate and defeat their opponent. MMA is easily the fastest growing sport in the United States and Japan, as well as several other Asian countries, Western and Eastern Europe. The dominant industry player, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), is expected to exceed $250 million in revenue in 2008. Realizing mixed levels of success, several other promotional companies, like The Flight Zone (TFZ), have sprung up in order to compete against UFC.
In the United States, MMA is on the verge of ousting several well-known, traditional sports to attain “Top Five” status among major sports. MMA is clearly placing significant pressure on boxing and professional wrestling. In many parts of the United States, Japan, Europe, Brazil, and several parts of Southern Asia, mixed martial arts-oriented training facilities are established with an almost alarming frequency. Countless youths who would have likely followed a path of boxing training are now instead turning toward MMA. Increased demand for talented mixed martial arts fighters has given rise to a tremendous surge in the athleticism and ability of even newcomers. This trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
This trend has prompted MMA promotional groups to retain a number of talented fighters and to work diligently to train these fighters to be able to compete at the top levels of the sport. For the most part, MMA training staffs have extensive experience in both selecting talent and in training talented individuals in order to fully develop fighting skills.
Rather than simply hosting their own fighters, most MMA organizations seek to partner with the other MMA organizations. For example, TFZ is actively seeking to partner with the larger organizations, such as UFC, in order to allow fighters from competing promotional organizations to fight on a crowd-pleasing fight card. This strategy is extremely innovative, as there is developing discontent among the fighter ranks within some of the larger organizations. This will keep many fighters from being forced to wait for extended periods of time before promoters allow them to fight, which can lead to significant frustration.
MMA organizations are strategically positioning their groups as valuable resources to, not only fighters, but to the industry as a whole. The MMA industry has the potential to be a key player in the modernization of the gladiator and to reap the rewards that will result from it.
About the author of this article:
rodney marvel is currently the director of operations for e-media direct (http://www.e-mediadirect.com). he has five years of experience in the marketing and financial industries. contact rodney at: rmarvel@e-mediadirect.com or 866.284.2835.
