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The Rise of Mixed Martial Arts:

20 Years of the UFC

Tom Karagiannis

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The Rise of Mixed Martial Arts: 20 Years of the Ultimate

Fighting Championship

Tom Karagiannis

Dedicated to the memory of Shihan John L Watkins (1923-1993)

Founder Australian Yoshin Ryu Karate

Abstract

Mixed martial arts is a combat sport incorporating a combination of the various striking

(boxing, kick-boxing, Muay Thai, karate) and grappling (wrestling, jiu-jitsu, judo) arts,

closely related to the Ancient Hellenic sport of Pankration Athlima. Over the past two

decades, mixed martial arts has gained a consistent growth in mainstream popularity, mainly

due to promotion by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Indeed, following relatively

humble beginnings in November 1993, the Ultimate Fighting Championship recently

completed its 20th

year anniversary event, UFC 167 on November 16, 2013 at MGM Grand

Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The live event had an almost capacity crowd and

it is estimated that an impressive, approximately 650,000 pay-per-view buys were made. The

rapid growth and expansion of mixed martial arts, through promotion by the Ultimate

Fighting Championship, has been associated not only with the premium pay-per-events but

also lucrative television deals which include high quality Fight Nights as well as a long-

standing reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, which is currently in its 20th

season. The

Ultimate Fighting Championship, with President Dana White as the face and primary

spokesperson for the organization has worked tirelessly to promote the sport and ensure it is

palatable for wide audiences. In this work we consider the major reasons for the success of

the Ultimate Fighting Championship and discuss the remarkable growth in popularity of

mixed martial arts.

Introduction

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a combat sport closely related to the Ancient Hellenic sport of

Pankration Athlima. Pankration was inducted at the 33rd

Ancient Olympic Games in 648 BC

and consisted of a combination of boxing (striking arts) and wrestling (grappling arts). Many

exponents, including the important philosopher Philostratus, heralded Pankration as the most

worthy of combat sports. Glory was associated with winning with enduring glory evident

for the most famous combatant, Milo of Croton (won the event six times), who's legend lives

on. It is interesting also that the famous philosopher, Plato, is thought to have been a two-

time Olympic Champion in Pankration. Despite its importance and popularity in the Ancient

Olympics, Pankration was not inducted in the Modern Olympic games (1896). In the Modern

Era, the renowned Greek-American Martial Artist, Jim Arvanitis, is widely thought to have

revived the spirit of Pankration. Further, his work which was highlighted in 1973 in an issue

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Figure 1: Shihan John Watkins (1923-1993) at his dojo in

Preston, Melbourne, Australia. Numerous martial artists have

suggested the importance of using a combination of styles of

fighting for increased efficacy over the years. A notable and

well known example is Bruce Lee who through his very

successful movies and martial arts style (Jeet Kun Do)

popularized this idea in the 1970s. This article is dedicated to

Shihan John Watkins, the founder of Australian Yoshin Ryu

Karate. Shihan Watkins operated a dojo in Melbourne,

Australia which influenced the lives of generations of pupils.

To highlight his philosophy of not limiting yourself, Shihan

Watkins acquired black belts in Karate (7th Dan; multiple

styles), Judo (5th Dan), Jujitsu (4th Dan), Tae Kwon Do (3rd Dan)

and Aikido. He was a visionary and an inspirational man and

most probably would have appreciated the current popularity

of MMA.

of Black Belt Magazine, has greatly influenced modern MMA. Indeed, the concept of MMA

until relatively recent times has been largely held alive through amateur Pankration Athlima

Federations around the world.

Modern MMA includes both

striking arts and grappling

arts. The striking arts

employed today

predominantly include the

disciplines of boxing, kick-

boxing, Muay Thai and

karate. Like for Pankration,

boxers were held in high

regard in Ancient times and

this most evident with the

lasting glory bestowed upon

Nikokles the boxer, who

features in the Ancient work

of Pindar. Most of the

striking arts have had

success as individual

disciplines in modern times.

Of course, the popularity of

boxing over the last century

does not need mention.

However, in the past few

decades the popularity of

this discipline has relied on a

few extra-ordinary

champions of the era - for

example, Muhammad Ali in

the 1960s, Mike Tyson in the

1980s and currently Floyd

Mayweather. Similarly, kick-boxing represents a popular art with the K-1 representing an

important professional promotion for the sport over the past two decades. Professional Muay

Thai events are also held around the world with varying popularity and interest. In contrast,

the grappling arts which mainly include wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo are mainly

limited to amateur or events with limited and highly specific interest. An exception is

professional wrestling which has enjoyed enormous mainstream popularity particularly over

the past three decades. Although wrestling and judo are both Olympic sports, the grappling

arts are very limited in their mainstream popularity predominantly due to their less

entertaining nature. This was highlighted in Ancient times through the writings of Homer. In

Book XXIII of the Iliad where Achilles held ceremonial games to honour the death of

Patroklos, Odysseus is described to have wrestled Ajax to a boring draw. Nevertheless, the

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Figure 2: Number of events and indication of general interest in the UFC over the last 20 years. At

total of 257 events (including the cancelled UFC 151 scheduled September 1, 2012 at the Mandalay

Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada) have been held until the end of 2013 (A, dotted line);

strictly, 254 events have been held until UFC 167 (November 16, 2013, at the MGM Grand Garden

Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada) which marked the 20 year anniversary of the UFC (A, solid line). A

steady growth in the number of events per year is observed until 2004 followed by rapid growth

until 2014. By comparing with Google trends data, the steady growth in interest peaking in 2009 is

evident using the search terms “Ultimated Fighting Championship” and “Mixed Martial Arts” (B). It

is interesting to note that from 2005 onwards the name of the organization (UFC) is more widely

searched than the sport itself. The search term “Boxing” which represents a well-established

combat sport was included as control. The consistent relatively high interest in boxing over the

years is noteworthy but not unexpected. Further, it is interesting to note that although UFC events

are increasing each year, general interest, at least as inferred by Google trends data, appears to

have reached a plateau after 2009 (and perhaps a small decline in interest is apparent). For all of

the search terms, peaks in the trends correspond to periods where major events have been held.

grappling arts are highly specialized and effective and forming an important component of

modern MMA.

Although not mainstream, combining the different elements from the various Martial Arts has

been suggested by numerous proponents over the decades, with Jim Arvanitis being an

important pioneer as described above. Another example is the cult figure Bruce Lee who

popularized the idea of "not limiting yourself to one style" through his successful movies in

the 1960s and early 70s. Indeed, this is reflected in his particular method of Martial Arts, Jeet

Kun Do, which represents a philosophy of life and a combat system based on fluidity. Of

course, there have been numerous other unknown visionaries and this manuscript is dedicated

to one particular man, Shihan John Watkins (1923-1993), who can be considered a surrogate

for all those unknown Martial Artists who have essentially advocated for MMA over the

years (Figure 1). Shihan Watkins operated a dojo in Melbourne, Australia inspiring

generations of pupils and his philosophy typified the idea of not limiting yourself to one style

having achieved black belts in Karate, Judo, Jiu-jitsu, Tae Kwon Do and Aikido. Shihan

Watkins, who at the time was one of the many exponents of jiu-jitsu and MMA, passed away

in 1993, a few months before the first event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Figure 3: Global distribution of

UFC events indicating the

majority of events are held in

the United States. However,

even prior to acquisition of the

UFC by Zuffa, LLC, approximately

15% of events were held outside

the United States with three

events in Japan and events in

Brazil and Puerto Rico (A [blue

marks] and B). Currently,

approximately 23% of UFC

events are held at locations

outside the United States (A [red

marks] and C). Numerous

events are held in Brazil, which

has many high level fighters and

is the birthplace of Brazilian jiu-

jitsu. Canada which has a long-

term, high profile and popular

World champion and the United

Kingdom which has numerous

popular fighters are also

frequent locations for events.

Data was acquired from latitude

and longitude co-ordinates

obtained from Google Maps

according to the event venue.

Comma-separated value (CVS)

files and cultural Natural Earth

geodata

(www.naturalearthdata.com)

were imported into Tilemill

v.0.10.1 to create the final map.

(UFC). The UFC represents the prime organization in the promotion of MMA and is the topic

of this work. In this work, we do not provide a comprehensive historical perspective with a

chronological order of key events related to the rise of the UFC and MMA. However, the

aim is to analyse and discuss the key elements that have come together to enable modern

MMA, through promotion by the UFC, to gain widespread mainstream popularity over the

past two decades. Further, for each of the points which, in our opinion, have made the UFC

successful we also describe potential complications and pitfalls that may require attention.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship

During the 1970s through to the early 1990s there was an

interest within the Martial Arts community to determine

which particular fighting style is the most effective. Various

efforts at MMA events were limited to low level "No Holds

Barred" promotions which failed to achieve widespread

acceptance. It was this desire to determine which fighting

style is the most effective that spurred the organization of the

UFC. The history of the UFC is well-documented and the

chronological milestones of the organization easily obtainable. Essentially, the Gracie family,

which had developed Brazilian jiu-jitsu, through Rorion Gracie, largely influenced the

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Figure 4: Distribution of UFC events within the United States. The location of pay-per-view (PPV)

events (red marks with size proportional to number of events) and televised (blue marks) are

indicated. The highest proportion of events, including the reality television ultimate fighter (TUF)

finals, are held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Numerous events are also held in New Jersey, Connecticut

and California. Events have not been held in Alaska or Hawaii and it is noteworthy that at the

time of writing UFC events are banned in New York. Data was acquired from latitude and

longitude co-ordinates obtained from Google Maps according to the event venue. Comma-

separated value (CVS) files and cultural Natural Earth geodata (www.naturalearthdata.com) were

imported into Tilemill v.0.10.1 to create the final map.

beginning. Together with WOW promotions and the Semaphore Entertainment Group

(SEG), UFC 1 was held at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, US on the 12th

of November 12, 1993. Indeed, perhaps the most famous of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

practitioners, Royce Gracie won the tournament-style event. He went on to also win UFC 2

and 4 and earned a draw against Ken Shamrock at UFC 5. In all, the SEG held 29 events

with mixed success before the acquisition of the UFC by Zuffa LLC - important figures of

which are Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White, the current president of the

UFC. Over the years, the trademarked Octagon, which is essentially an enclosed field-of-

play has remained constant however, there have been numerous rule changes (for example,

weight classes and defined five minute rounds; three rounds for non-title fights and five

rounds for title and some main events). In particular, rules associated with the fighting

components (e.g. kicking or kneeing a downed opponent in the head) has made the sport

more palatable to wider audiences. In the first 20 years, enormous widespread growth and

interest has been observed with the UFC holding a total of 254 events - 253 if the infamous

cancelled UFC 151 is discounted (Figures 2 and 3). The majority of these have been held

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Figure 5: Las Vegas, Nevada is recognized as the "entertainment capital of the world". Accordingly,

approximately 40% of UFC events are held in Las Vegas (red mark, A). Comma-separated value (CVS)

files and Shapefiles acquired from Cloudmade downloads under the OpenStreeMap licence

(www.openstreetmap.org) were imported into Tilemill v.0.10.1 to create the map. The majority of

UFC pay-per-view (PPV) events are held at Mandalay Bay or MGM Grand. The Hard Rock Hotel &

Casino and the Palms Resort Casino have been typical venues for the reality television ultimate fighter

(TUF) finals. Map downloaded from OpenStreetMap (www.openstreetmap.org) and edited

accordingly (B).

within the US (Figure 4), particularly Las Vegas, Nevada (Figure 5) with careful expansion

internationally. Further the UFC has established a successful reality TV show, "The Ultimate

Fighter" which is currently in its 20th

season; the show culminates with the TUF finale which

is typically held in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. Over the first 20 years, the popularity of the

UFC has steadily increased with a sharp peak in interest in 2009 which essentially has been

maintained until today. There are numerous reasons accounting for this success and the most

important of these, in the author's opinion, will be the subject for the remainder of this work.

Charismatic co-owner, president and promoter - Dana White

The team of co-owners comprising of the Fertitta brothers and Dana White have

complimentary attributes and most importantly are united in their ideals and vision for the

UFC. While Frank Fertitta III is essentially a silent partner, when he does make a related

appearance, his visions and business acumen naturally come across. Similarly, the business

acumen of Lorenzo Fertitta is an important attribute. Lorenzo Fertitta is more involved and

makes frequent appearances at events and participates in relevant interviews; his passion for

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the UFC and knowledge of MMA is unquestionable. In contrast, Dana White, is essentially

the face and spokesperson for the UFC and much of the success of the organization can be

attributed to his qualities. He is a captivating public speaker and his presence is obvious not

only at events and his readiness to participate in interviews but also on social media where he

has a massive following and direct contact with fans of the sport. Dana White is a master

organizer and has a thorough understanding of all aspects of the UFC and more generally, of

combat sports as a whole. His genuine passion, enthusiasm and tireless work ethic are

evident. His promotion skills, as described below, are remarkable.

Best fighters, best fights and no hint of predetermined fight outcomes

Undoubtedly, the UFC has amassed the very best fighters from around the world and this is a

critical component of its success. Further, in general the UFC through its competent

matchmakers, currently Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, organize the best possible fights with

wide appeal. In this context, it is impossible to be precise and difficult to foresee potential

mismatches which do occur from time to time. This is unavoidable however, the UFC does

need to be wary of gimmick fights and so-called superfights. A prime example of a gimmick

was the light heavyweight championship contest between Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones at

UFC 159. Essentially, the UFC capitalized on the charismatic and outspoken nature of

Chael Sonnen to create a main event fight of considerable interest but with no real

competitive credibility. To highlight the charismatic and marketable nature of Chael Sonnen,

the odd part was that approximately 50% of fans polled believed that he would win that

particular fight. As expected, Jon Jones prevailed comfortably. This is just one example of a

foreseeable mismatch and it is wise that UFC does not purposefully organise too many fights

which are not based on competitive merits as knowledgeable fans may become disheartened.

The topic of superfights, where competitors (champions) from different weight classes are

supposed to fight each other, has also become of interest in recent years with the UFC

announcing 2013 as potentially the year of superfights. Firstly, there were no superfights per

se and secondly, the wisdom of these types of fights is questionable. Structured weight class

divisions with a champion and a list of contenders the best of which emerges to challenge the

champion is inherently more interesting and fair from a competitive point of view.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of fights in the UFC are well-matched, highly competitive and

importantly, there is no hint of pre-determined fight outcomes, an issue which at times has

hurt combat sports over the years. This does not include potential errors in judging which

have occurred on occasion. The issue of judging MMA fights has been one of intense debate,

with many - including Dana White - being very outspoken about the perceived lack of

competency. The issue of judging is complex, and one we will deal with in a dedicated

manuscript, however, it can be said that overall it is not perfect but is generally very good and

adequate.

Aggressive promotion of fighters and fights

The UFC does a remarkable job at promoting both individual fighters and fights. Many of

the top-level UFC fighters have achieved superstar status, predominantly due to the

promotion by the UFC. The UFC does not only focus on the fighting skills of the competitor

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but also through organization of extensive interviews and dedicated programs such as

"Extended Preview" online, "The Road to the Octagon" and "UFC Primetime" give insights

into the lives and journeys of fighters. This augments the interest not only on the fight but on

the individual. For example, Anderson Silva, the long-term middleweight champion, has been

elevated to superstar status with an intriguing documentary dedicated to him. Anderson

Silva, is an exceptional and enigmatic individual who can be considered at the fine line

between genius and insanity. Anderson Silva has been a dominant champion and involved in

some of the most interesting and anticipated fights in UFC history. His UFC 117 fight

against Chael Sonnen is one the most intriguing fights of all time. In that fight Chael Sonnen

completely dominated for almost four and a half rounds of their five round scheduled fight

before Anderson Silva submitted him with a triangle choke seemingly out of no-where. In

fact, the result is so unexpected that the author has watched that particular fight in its entirety

at least five times and is shocked by the outcome on each occasion. That fight set-up a

rematch at UFC 148 which is most likely the most anticipated fight in UFC history. To

highlight the lesser qualities of Anderson Silva, his comedic performance against Demian

Maia at UFC 112 provides a pertinent example. Similarly, his comedy act resulted in his first

loss in the UFC at UFC 162 against Chris Weidman where he was knocked out in the second

round. In a rematch at UFC 168 Anderson Silva broke his leg following a checked leg kick

by Chris Weidman, completing the demise of the champion who given his age may or may

not return to competition. Apart from Anderson Silva, other champions in other weight

divisions are also heavily promoted with the Canadian welterweight champion, Georges St-

Pierre, representing another prime example. In this case, it is interesting to note that

following his fight at the UFCs 20th

anniversary event, UFC 168, Georges St-Pierre has been

openly critical of the organisation. This highlights one of the problems for the UFC; it does a

great job at promoting and elevating the status of fighters however, in the author’s opinion, at

times it does make the fighters essentially too big, sometimes to the detriment of the

organization. In the case of Georges St-Pierre, the issues are a nuisance but appear to be

trivial and resolvable. However, there have been examples of serious rifts between high

profile fighters and the UFC over the years; for example, problems with high level fighters

such a Tito Ortiz and Quinton Jackson do not require further discussion. One of the main

topics creating disputes over the years is that of fighter salaries. While the issue of salaries is

beyond the scope of this work, it is in the author's opinion, that exorbitant salaries like those

seen for elite professional boxing, are not appropriate or beneficial. To ensure quality fights,

the UFC does have sensible financial incentives in place, with generous bonuses for "Fight of

the Night", "Knockout of the Night" and "Submission of the Night" accompanying each

event. This is in line with the reality of the need for fighter and fights to be entertaining.

This reality has at times been harsh with fighters being cut from the promotion not only the

basis of their competitive skills (on the basis of ranking) but also on their marketability. This

is a particular problem for middle of the range fighters who 1) are not at the elite level of

competition, 2) require substantial remuneration and 3) are not necessarily very entertaining.

As inferred to earlier, those with a strong basis in the grappling arts are most likely to be at

risk given the inherent less spectacular nature of grappling.

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On the topic of cutting fighters, the UFC has also removed fighters for other reasons. For

example, one particular fighter was correctly cut for deliberately striking an opponent well

after the fight. Others have been disciplined for consistently missing weight for their

particular division. The issue of weight cutting to achieve the specified weight is complex

and there is a tendency for competitors to choose to fight in a division well below their

natural weight. Trying to remove excessive weight prior to fights has lead to numerous

problems, mainly related to the adverse effects of dehydration and is an issue that should be

carefully regulated by the UFC and sanctioning bodies in the future. Interestingly, it should

be mentioned, that despite having to cut weight, fighters can be typically classified as being

above normal weight when the height / weight charts for the general population are

consulted; obviously, those need revision for elite athletes with different muscle : fat ratios

compared to the general public. Health problems, particularly cardiovascular issues have

been associated with the UFC in recent times with three fighters showing signs of heart

problems in the past year, one (Shane Del Rosario) who unfortunately, passed away on

December 9th

, 2013. In that case a genetic predisposition, long QT syndrome, was

responsible and is beyond the control of the UFC. In general, it could be that excessive

training and strain required for elite MMA may accentuate otherwise minor health issues and

in certain cases these may be amplified by excessive weight cutting prior to fights. The UFC

and the sanctioning bodies already have appropriate medical procedures and testing in place

and perhaps this could be bolstered in the future. Defined rules for weight cutting may be

appropriate to establish and further precautionary medical testing may also be desirable. In

this context, personalized genetic testing is interesting not only from a health perspective but

also to determine whether any particular haplogroup or any short nucleotide polymorphisms

are associated with MMA ability. The issue of performance enhancing drugs is also an

important medical consideration. The UFC and sanctioning bodies have adequate testing

procedures and punishments in place for many banned substances however, the issue of

medically approved testosterone replacement therapy is one which requires attention.

Another reason for cutting fighters has been "unsportsmanlike behaviour". An example is the

leg-lock specialist Rousimar Palhares who was disciplined once and then subsequently cut for

holding on to a lock for too long. While leg-locks may have serious repercussions and are

particularly brutal techniques this is not a straight-forward issue. Firstly, it is not entirely

obvious that that the fighter deliberately held the lock for too long - the heat of the moment

needs to be taken into account as should the fighter's description of his intentions. Further, it

is not dissimilar to the "unsportsmanlike behaviour" widely observed when an obviously

defenceless opponent receives more strikes than necessary.

In regards to fighter promotion, the UFC has recently demonstrated its remarkable

capabilities through the promotion of the Women's Bantamweight Division. On the basis on

interest in the fight between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate in a different organization that

took place on March 3rd

, 2012, the UFC established this division in 2013 (Figure 6). The

UFC heavily promoted Ronda Rousey, an Olympic bronze medallist in judo, making her the

champion and the face of the division. Ronda Rousey is a worthy champion having won all

of her fights by an armbar, a technique she has obviously perfected over the years.

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Figure 6: General interest in selected female UFC fighters. The UFC announced the incorporation

of a Women’s Bantamweight Division in November 2012 and inducted Ronda Rousey, an Olympic

medallist in Judo (bronze), as the champion of the division. Prior to the UFC, Ronda Rousey was

the champion of the Strikeforce Female Bantamweight division defeating Miesha Tate by an

armbar; as she had done to all of her previous opponents in MMA. Google trends data reflects

the growing popularity of Ronda Rousey showing distinct peaks each time she fights. A peak in

popularity is observed for both Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate in the period during their fight in

Strikeforce early on 3 March 2012. It is interesting to note that the peak in popularity for other

female fighters (which is always lower) typically corresponds to the time of their fight against

Ronda Rousey; Ronda Rousey (blue) fought Liz Carmouche (yellow) at UFC 157, 23 February 2013

and Miesha Tate (red) at UFC 168, 28 December 2013. It is also noteworthy that the modest peak

in popularity for Sara McMann (green), an Olympic medallist (silver) in wrestling, coincided with

the announcement of her fight with Ronda Rousey on 28 December, 2013; the fight is scheduled

for UFC 170 on 22 February 2014.

Interestingly, the armbar is almost obsolete in the elite male divisions. In the case of Ronda

Rousey and her opponents to date an ancient quote by Archilochus (Hellenic lyric poet and

soldier, 675-635 BC) is appropriate - "The fox has many tricks, and the hedgehog only one,

but that is the best of all". In promotion of Ronda Rousey, the UFC has opened numerous

opportunities for her and other female fighters. Amongst other things both Ronda Rousey

and Miesha Tate have had the opportunity to be on the front cover of the ESPN Magazine

Body issue. Further, Ronda Rousey has recently been cast for a number of movie roles

including Fast and Furious 7. In acquiring these opportunities, hopefully, there is not a

repeat of the Gina Carano case (another high profile female fighter from a previous era), who

phased out of fighting after her roles outside of fighting, including movie roles, essentially

took priority. Overall, the UFC has made enormous contributions in elevating the status of

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fighters, with numerous fighters now having established their own gymnasiums, published

their own books and some have television roles as commentators / analysts for the UFC.

Further, certain fighters have been rewarded with post-fighting employment within the UFC

and other have been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame which can be further as established

as mentioned below.

Stability and familiarity

The organization and sequence of UFC promotions is highly predictable and structured.

Event week typically consists of the pre-fight press conference, pre-fight media scrum with

Dana White, open workouts session, weigh-ins, the actual event which includes free

preliminary fights followed by the televised and / or pay-per-view fights, the post-fight press

conference and the post-fight media scrum with Dana White. On many occasions, one or

more fight VLOGs are published by Dana White during fight week and "The Road to the

Octagon" or "UFC Primetime" programs are sometimes aired. All of these culminate to 1)

create great interest in the event, 2) to place the event in context of future UFC events and 3)

provides numerous opportunities for free interaction between the UFC and the fans. The

stability and familiarity of fight week is a very important aspect for the success of the UFC

and one that should be upheld as much as possible. Already, there are some minor signs of

deviation with the frequency of VLOGs and "The Road to the Octagon" or "UFC Primetime"

programs decreasing. The ring announcer (Bruce Buffer) is also a constant. Bruce Buffer is

the MC for the vast majority of UFC events and his unique style resonates with the fans.

That he is obviously a passionate MMA fan himself and his words are always in line with

company visions are very favourable characteristics. Similarly, the commentary team is one

the fans can identify with. In this context, the team of Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg

requires special mention. Mike Goldberg is a play-by-play commentator with a distinctive

style ensuring a pleasurable experience of the fight. Joe Rogan is more versed in the skills of

MMA and provides special live insights. Further, he is responsible for the in-Octagon

interviews straight after the completion of fights which requires remarkable effort to extract

useful words from fighters who are still on high adrenalin levels from the fight. Like most

UFC employees, Joe Rogan's words are always in line with the visions of the organization.

He has a remarkable convincing ability; 1) you know he is an employee of the UFC, 2) you

know his job is to sell fights and 3) he convinces you that a fight is worthwhile (sometimes

even against your better judgement). It may seem trivial, however, the Octagon girls, are also

constant with Arianny Celeste and Brittney Palmer, being the main representatives in recent

years. Both are supported by the UFC and enjoy success outside of the organization with

numerous appearances in popular magazines. Brittney Palmer is also a competent artist, an

avenue she has been able to actively promote through her affiliation with the UFC. Overall,

this stability and familiarity enables strong virtual relationships to be formed between fans

and the UFC.

Impressive presence online - website, social media presence and internet

coverage

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The main source of information related to the UFC comes from its website. The website is

self-contained, has all the relevant information (events, ticketing and viewing arrangements)

readily accessible for fans and importantly, the content is constantly updated. Similarly, the

UFC has a very strong presence on social media, with all employees and fighters having their

own active Twitter accounts and until recently preliminary fights for each event could only be

watched through Facebook encouraging direction of traffic to that medium. Naturally, some

employees and fighters are more interactive and engaging than others on Twitter. Overall,

the interaction on Twitter is beneficial however, in cases where some fighters interact only

via generic messages or through third persons this could be detrimental. To encourage

appropriate use the UFC offers fighters financial incentives for appropriate Tweets. There

are also numerous websites that are closely associated with the UFC and MMA. For example,

FightMetric is website with a comprehensive database of UFC events and statistics.

Similarly, MMA Decisions is a website with all of the relevant statistics related to judging in

elite MMA. Further, Fightnomics (known as the Science of MMA) is a website that contains

detailed statistical analyses of many different aspects of MMA. In addition, the UFC is

advantaged by having very dedicated online and television media which actively promote

MMA. Ariel Helwani (MMA Fighting - MMA Hour, MMA Beat) and Karyn Bryant (MMA

Heat) represent very experienced journalist who have dedicated their talents to MMA. Both

provide consistent coverage with very interesting and informative interviews. Similarly,

Luke Thomas (MMA Fighting - MMA Live Chat, MMA Beat) provides consistent coverage

and is associated with a deep knowledge of the sport and logical / pragmatic thinking in his

approach. International coverage is also gaining traction with Gareth A Davies from BT

sport UK providing a prime example of emerging international MMA correspondents.

Controlled expansion

Over the first 20 years, the UFC has been associated with controlled expansion in line with

the increase in general appeal of MMA, ensuring for the most part interesting and high

quality fight-cards. The number of events per year have increased to a little of over 30, there

a typically two TUF finales per year and one major Fan Expo. In the author's opinion, this

level represents close the maximum in terms of fight-card quality and adequate promotion of

each event. Similarly, the UFC has expanded to numerous other ventures inlcuding the UFC

360 Magazine, UFC gymnasiums around the world, online UFC stores and dedicated UFC

fitness programs. These all achieve in expanding the brand name however, care should be

taken to ensure that all UFC ventures are associated with the highest quality. The quality

may diminish with excessive uncontrolled expansion and may become more harmful than

beneficial therefore, the cautious attitude the UFC has adopted to date is wise for the future.

Perspectives for the future and concluding remarks

The UFC has now moved on from its 20th

year anniversary event with the latest major PPV

show (UFC 168) on Saturday 28th

December, 2013. The fight card included two World

championship fights namely, Anderson Silva versus Chris Weidman for the Middleweight

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championship and Ronda Rousey versus Miesha Tate for the Women's Bantamweight

championship amongst other excellent fights. Although the excitement for this event is

unquestionable an issue requiring attention did arise. Given the quality of the fight card the

UFC decided to apply a five dollar surcharge to the PPV. While five dollars is a nominal

amount it did raise questions and does set an interesting precedent. From the UFCs

perspective this card was definitely worth the usual PPV fee plus the extra surcharge.

However, over the years there have been numerous a number of PPV cards that have not

lived to expectation and the buyers have not been compensated. In the authors opinion, it

seems petty that the UFC would apply a surcharge for an exceptional fight card and the

potential for the long-term damaging perception of the organization does not outweigh the

extra income generated. To equilibrate, the UFC should now purposefully reduce the cost of

one PPV by five dollars and explicitly state that the reason for the reduction is directly related

to balancing the surcharge applied to UFC 168. Overall, the long-term success of the UFC is

dependent on the accumulation of successful events and not on one particular event.

Therefore, the UFC should remain consistent in its pricing of the premium PPV events. As

described earlier, consistency and respect of fans are main attractive attributes of the UFC.

At the time of writing the UFC is still banned in certain parts of the World with two notable

locations being New York in the US and Melbourne in Australia. The issues related to

banning of the UFC in New York appear to be largely political and beyond the scope of this

article. However, from a fan's perspective it is disappointing that UFC events cannot be held

at Madison Square Garden which has an unmatched history in hosting key combat sporting

events over the years. The issue in Melbourne is related to the notion of "dehumanization"

due to contests taking place in an Octagon rather than a boxing ring. This has essentially

been lead by a campaign by elements of the popular media who at times refer to "human

cockfighting in a cage" to strengthen their argument which, really has no substantial basis and

overlooks the important aspects of the sport and the need to hold contests in an enclosed field

of play. To give one example, an article in the widely circulated local newspaper the "Herald

Sun" on Sunday 5th

January, 2014 (Napthine [Premier of Victoria] walks into a straight left

on UFC) highlights the way emotive writing is used for public persuasion without careful

consideration. Apart from minor factual errors, in short, the article implies that the UFC will

eventually be allowed in Victoria but that it is not necessarily a good thing; references to cage

fighting and unnecessary exposure to violence are cited as reasons. Further, it was suggested

that the UFC will be allowed in Melbourne because the Government needs votes from

younger blue-collar males - a gross generalization. This article spurred a few readers who

corresponded with negative opinions on UFC events in the same paper in the following days.

Of particular interest, was a letter published on Tuesday 7th

January, 2014 where one reader

attempted to make his particular opinion more credible by pointing out that he was a "proud

Australian Olympic Wrestler". The oddest part of this type of correspondence is that it

misses that MMA events are already widely held in Melbourne, typically in a boxing ring.

The boxing ring is totally unsuitable for the purpose of MMA contests. Not only does it

require implementation of awkward rules and diminishes entertainment, but it is also unsafe;

for instance, contestants can fall out of the ring or can become entangled. This eliminates the

main argument that is used against the UFC in Melbourne - i.e. that contests take place in the

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Octagon. Hopefully common sense can prevail so that Melburnians, who incidentally inhabit

the World's most liveable city (according to The Economist Intelligence Unit Survey, 2013)

and correctly (according to the authors' opinion) boast that Melbourne is the sporting capital

of the World, can enjoy UFC spectacles live. In case there is a temptation to somehow

connect live UFC events with diminished liveability, it should be noted that Vancouver in

Canada which, was ranked as the World's third most liveable city, has hosted a number of

live UFC events with great financial and social success. In fact, live UFC events in

Melbourne will enhance the appeal, at least for a proportion of the population, with positive

economic impacts and minimal disruption to those who disapprove.

Following its 20th

year anniversary event the UFC announced its plans for rapid growth and

expansion. One of the major strengths of the UFC in the first 20 years (particularly in the last

decade) has been its very deliberate and cautious yet obvious growth and international

expansion. With rapid expansion, there is an obvious need for more events, more fights and

more fighters. In this regard the UFC needs to be wary that the talent pool is not limitless and

most likely quality will suffer. Further, with about 30 events per year we have already seen a

significant decline in the 1) quality of various events and 2) decreased promotion of certain

events. This is expected to be amplified with 40-50 events per year and perhaps it is not best

if the UFC is associated with too many 2nd

and 3rd

tier quality promotions. Affiliation with

amateur levels of the sport represents another, maybe a more noble, mode of expansion for

the UFC. In this context, induction of MMA as an Olympic sport has been an approach

openly advocated by the President of the UFC. This would be a difficult achievement and

would require a close link with Pankration Athlima. Protective gear including, gloves with

more protection, head gear and elbow, knee and foot pads as well as a more elaborate scoring

system may make this possibility more palatable to the International Olympic Committee and

the general public. Overall, in the opinion of the author, the UFC should not focus solely on

global expansion and financial growth but should try to remain the prime organization with

events of premium quality, affiliation and growth of the amateur sport and continue to respect

and be accessible to fans.

Finally, in discussing accessibility to fans a physical UFC Hall of Fame could be considered.

A facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, essentially the spiritual home of the UFC, can be

envisioned. Perhaps, this could be coupled with a UFC sports bar that amongst other things

could serve as a centre for showing live UFC events. Such a facility could be a tourist

attraction with dedicated events and also for locals to attend UFC events which is particularly

important now that many of the high profile events are essentially rapidly sold-out. To date,

the UFC has been fan-friendly and accessible however, with rapid growth and expansion it

would naturally be too easy to take the reasons for success for granted and small, maybe

trivial, signs are already becoming apparent. A conscious effort is required to maintain and

expand the tight relationship between the UFC and the fans to ensure the success of the UFC

and MMA into the future.