MMA Internationally

I had posted a poll “how far will mma go” asking mma fans if MMA would equal or surpass our National sports (NBA, NFL. est.) With time to consider the question I realized it was the wrong question to be asked . As Americans we consider our sports the end all beat all of competition. Don’t get me wrong baseball has huge fan base and stars playing from overseas (Japan, ichiro,dicek 4 example) the nfl has the European league and overseas basketball has proven that they also have skill. But the most popular sport in the world (soccer ) is barely on our sports radar. Even when the sports biggest star came across the big pond it still didn’t make a big splash. None of our sports even come close to its popularity. So I feel the real question is will MMA become the sport to cross those international lines. When you look at the history of fighting every culture has its own form of fighting based art form. From judo to wrestling and Muey Thai to Boxing. With that considered MMA should be better understood than most sports. Generally it is easy to watch a fight and see who won, even if you are watching for a technical display of skill or just a brutal slugfest . So the foundation is already there and all that is left is for someone to build on it. So I applaud UFC for taking those first steps . Let us not forget the Rumble in the Jungle or The Thrilla in Manila. Two fights that cross generational borders and both were fought on foreign soil. I feel MMA with not just national support but with international support can and will give us the fights that our kid’s kids can watch years from now.

Something that I have concluded is that combat sports are not for everyone, which is why I don't think MMA will ever be popular throughout the world.

What you dont understand is that the majority is what matters. What your saying is that not enough people around the world do not enjoy combat/fighting. Why is it that you cant watch an action movie without seeing a fight. Mostly kungfu even in cartoons (shrek, Kung fu Panda). Needless to say that horror films make billions on needless violence but mma is too violent. We natually want to see the dark side of life or like myself i prefer to see the strength of men in a test of will and skill. History above all has proven this. The ancient Macedonian and Greek Tribes would gather for a competition of fighting( a mix of striking and grappling w/ subs sound familiar). The spartans accually ended up boycotting it because they didnt allow eyegouging and groin strikes. This was long before the roman times(Roman Greco Wrestling) and the colosseum. As humans we have thrown warriors to lions for entertainment. So in my opinion MMA is the purest form of competion and is far from a simple display of violence. It is less violent than the tv we all watch everyday.

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Posted by Rush

Something that I have concluded is that combat sports are not for everyone, which is why I don't think MMA will ever be popular throughout the world.

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I think the key is that they are people from almost every culture that have an interest and that will allow it to expand internationally. I cant think of a culture that doesnt have a traditional martial art or combat sport of some kind. Its a natural transition from interest in a martial art or combat sport right into MMA.

Another reason MMA is so universal is that its very easy to watch and understand what is going on. The game of football is so complicated with all its rules that a person who has never seen it before would be lost. Everyone can look at an MMA fight and realize that one guy is losing because hes getting his head smashed in.

These two reasons make me think that MMA can and will expand even further internationally.

On another note, im not sure if the UFC is the brand that should take it to other cultures. Many people find the idea of two guys fighting in a cage very animalistic and unsporting. I remember reading an article last week about why the UFC does poorly in Korea and thats the reason. I think eventually the UFC can stop pushing the "extreme sports" angle and try to make it look more like a mainstream sport and that will help immensely.