Many fans and insiders refer to Mixed Martial Arts as “the fastest growing sport in the world”, and with the star-studded Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion leading the way, the MMA explosion continues to reach new and staggering heights. In 2008, Forbes Magazine valued the UFC at right around one billion dollars, but according to a new interview, that figure has nearly tripled in the last two years.
In a recent interview with the Indianapolis Star to promote the then-upcoming UFC 119 “Mir vs. Cro Cop” event, here’s what UFC President Dana White had to say on the matter: “The company is worth about $2.5 billion… I’ve been saying this since day one, and people really thought I was a lunatic, that this could be the biggest sport in the world. What I am surprised about is how fast this has happened. We haven’t even scratched the surface for how big this thing is going to be. I don’t consider us mainstream yet. Mainstream, to me, is if you walked out into the main street of any major city in America and asked them what “American Idol” is. Everyone can tell you what “American Idol” is. Not everyone can tell you what UFC is…Any time we go to a new market, it’s so much fun. When those [fans] leave, they will go infect another 10 to 15 people with what they saw there that night. That’s how this whole buzz keeps rolling. I call it spreading the virus.”
And to think, in that same article Dana White admits that at one point the UFC was $44,000,000 in debt at one point. I think Dana White is correct when he says that the UFC isn’t fully “mainstream” yet, but the leaps and bounds it’s taken towards that goal in the last several years have been nothing short of miraculous. This was literally a sport that was on death’s door in the US. I know that a lot of people, including some prominent MMA journalists, love to poke holes in Dana’s “biggest sport in the world” dream/ideal, but I honestly agree with him on that too.
It probably won’t happen anytime soon, despite the all the recent developments that have contributed to the MMA explosion. It’s a goal that is quite a ways away, but it’s honestly one I believe in. I agree with White on this one: fighting transcends all boundaries. Everyone can understand and enjoy a good fight. It’s real, it’s dramatic, it’s as exciting as anything. A good victory can send you soaring; a big loss can break your heart. If you embrace the sport, the level of emotional attachment to your favorite fighter can rival that of any other team-based or individual sport.
The future looks bright for MMA as a whole, but especially for the UFC. Even with a few lackluster duds here and there, there’s absolutely no way you’ll convince me that a promotion puts on better shows than the UFC on an average basis. The UFC strives to give us the best matches possible, and even if the fighters themselves fail to live up to expectations, the promotion should be commended and applauded for trying their hardest to give us our money’s worth. The UFC isn’t going anywhere anytime soon…except up, that is.
And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of the UFC’s continued growth, and where do you see the promotion heading in the future?
No Competition Here: Dana White Says That The MLB And NFL, Not Other MMA Promotions, Are His Rivals
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I agree as well, the impression that I get of Dana White is that he is first and foremost a real fight fan himself. That does two things, it gives him the credibility with fans that Boxing lost in the 80-90′s and it drives him to offer up the best cards that he can manage. A recipe for success.
The only worry that I have for the UFC is talent dilution as has happened with most Pro Sports as they expanded to make money. Nobody can argue that Hockey and Baseball have an overall lower standard of talent now than they had in the 60′s and 70′s before expansion teams started piling on.
But it does seem like Dana is aware of that trap and is trying to set up a pool of talented fighters, both through TUF and acquirement of other MMA organizations. Good for him. The other hope is that as MMA becomes more and more popular, it will attract new young talent to participate and as the years pass by, a new stream of well trained athletes will begin to take up the torch from the current pioneering crop. I would argue that the “current” crop is really the second wave anyway. Can’t with for the third…
Cheers to all,
And thanks to Dana.
@Gene
I have to disagree, I got INTO MMA back when Couture and Liddel were fighting each other, and I’ve seen the quality of many matches go up, but thats simply because we’re seeing MORE fights.
Everything has a spin; the better the fight, the counter-balance to that is there’s going to be a horrible one.
Now, Oliver, Back to your point, I agree with you.
Mostly. (Gotta love that mostly…)
Do I see the UFC becoming as big as the testosterone juggernaut that is the WWE and professional wrestling? Hell yes. Bigger, in my opinion. I can appreciate a good professional wrestling match (yes, guys, I know its fake) but I can admire the skill, stamina, and not to mention ACTING skills, of the wrestlers. Now, take that, and add in TALENT, real fighting, not to mention BLOOD?
Its a win win situation.
The UFC peaked when Chuck and Tito were fighting, the quality of fights have been going down since. The fights and the personalities now suck and are boring.
i agree, its going to be one of the biggiest sports on the planet