Twitter, Facebook, & Other Social Media are Impacting MMA

Today most of you will log onto the internet, check your email and Facebook and maybe post a thing or two on Twitter. This is what we do these days right? Fighters as well as promoters have taken notice and social media is beginning to have a very large impact on the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Dana White, president of the UFC, has taken notice of all the social media outlets today and is using it to build a bigger and more loyal fanbase. Dana can be found on Twitter quite often giving the people that follow him small updates as to what he is doing and what we can expect from the UFC in the coming future. This allows fans to feel like they are a part of the UFC as a company or that they are getting inside information.

Dana has used Twitter, a free social networking and microblogging service, to stir up a frenzy for tickets to events. He regularly posts his location in the weeks and days leading up to fights via Twitter and tells fans to find him for free tickets. Quite the genius move by a very savvy Mr. White. Fans flock to find him with hopes of not only scoring tickets but a chance to get their picture taken with the man many believe has made MMA what it is today. MMA Gospel writer Josh Turner actually took advantage of this and ended up with two tickets directly from Dana himself for UFC 104. The sports world should take notice of this as this is the cutting edge of building a lasting fan base. When was the last time owner of the Cincinnati Bengals, Mike Brown, gave out free tickets to fans even when the organization was in danger of not selling out a home game and then getting blacked out on local television?

The MMA media is also using the social media outlet to bring stories to their readers much faster than ever before possible.I have personally seen many breaking news stories come directly off of Twitter. I broke the story of Fighters.com seventh-ranked heavyweight Shane Carwin (10-0) getting a title shot at UFC 108. This fight was called off due to the illness of second-ranked Brock Lesnar (4-1) however the story was broke via a message from Shane himself. This, in conjunction with live news feeds on sites like Facebook are changing the way fight fans get the latest in breaking news.

Fighters are always looking for a way to build a larger fan base and they have done so in the past with MySpace. Now with the rise of Facebook and Twitter they are able to communicate with fans and build that following in a much more efficient manner than in the past. Fans on Twitter are constantly telling others to follow a certain fighter. Fighters such as Shane Carwin, “Batman” Kurt Pellegrino (15-4) and “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (19-7) are some of the most active on the site. They post pictures of themselves doing everything from eating and training to just relaxing and playing video games. Twitter alone as become a top tier marketing tool for these fighters but it is not just fighters using it to gain an edge.

MMA radio shows such as MMA Gospel Radio and most major MMA websites are now using the tool to bring more traffic to their shows and sites. As the founder and host of MMA Gospel Radio I can say that the social media sites have been one of the main keys to generating a following for my show. We are only 28 episodes old and already have generated a very loyal following. Trying to become successful at building a MMA radio show just a year ago, without the aid of one of the most visited websites would have been impossible. We have essentially done just that. Although we now are partnered with Fighters.com it did not start out that way. It started small and unlike TAGG Radio, I did not have a star fighter like Frank Trigg to make the show an instant hit. Social media was the key to the rise of the show.

Social media is being used by fighters, promoters, websites, radio shows and fans. Fans are using the social media to talk to their favorite fighters and more importantly, meet other fans of MMA that are as passionate and knowledgeable about the sport as them. Many MMA fans use their computer to follow fighters and friends via twitter but when on the go the majority seem to use their cell phones as well. Never out of touch with fighters and the latest news due to cell phone applications, MMA fans today may very well be the most well informed fans of any sport.

Thanks to promoters, fighters, fans and all others involved involved in the sport, MMA is leading the charge in social media and showing why it is such a powerful tool. I have no idea what we will see next but I am sure I will find out via Twitter or another social media site and I will share it with the world. Follow me at www.twitter.com/mmagospel to find out more.