MMA has historically been one of many hardest sports activities to advertise except the three letters hooked up to the group are UFC.
Quite a few second-place contenders have come and gone through the years from Strikeforce to PRIDE Combating Championships, WEC, and even upstarts like Affliction, have failed to actually carve out a long run, sustainable piece of the fight sports activities pie. By all accounts, the PFL has settled into the No. 2 spot in MMA behind the UFC after buying Bellator in 2023. Nevertheless, that deal hasn’t precisely gone easily with quite a few high-profile fighters, together with champions Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Combine, requesting releases attributable to inactivity.
Retired UFC welterweight Matt Brown argues that many of those promotions simply don’t have the very best marketing strategy to search out long-term success, particularly with organizations just like the PFL billing itself as “fighter first” and handing out large paydays such because the $1 million prize per weight class handed out every year.
“There’s solely been one actually profitable combat promotion in historical past — the UFC,” Brown mentioned on The Fighter vs. The Author. “They didn’t construct it by serving to fighters. I believe that’s the place they’re all type of f*cking up.
“I say that as a former fighter, I need to see all people receives a commission and do effectively however the UFC constructed their enterprise lowballing fighters and nonetheless virtually went out of enterprise. There are nonetheless a number of arguments about how they deal with their fighters even right this moment. I discover it arduous to imagine that making it a fighter primarily based, assist the fighter promotion is absolutely the best way to construct a promotion. I hate saying that as a result of I really like that they care concerning the fighters. I really like the thought course of behind it, however is that going to construct a promotion? I’ve a tough time believing it.”
The UFC famously went $40 million into debt after Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta purchased the struggling promotion for $2 million with hopes of turning issues round. Simply when it regarded just like the UFC was going to fail and probably shut its doorways everlasting, The Final Fighter actuality present discovered a distinct segment viewers after which increasingly more occasions turned must-see tv.
In 2016, the UFC offered to Endeavor — a powerhouse expertise company on the time — for over $4 billion and now the corporate mixed with World Wrestling Leisure is valued at $21.4 billion.
Following the worldwide pandemic, the UFC has produced document revenues 12 months after 12 months with dozens of sold-out reveals and an upcoming broadcast rights deal in 2025 that would double and even triple what the group was paid from an unique take care of ESPN only a few years in the past.
That’s all occurring whereas the UFC nonetheless faces loads of criticism concerning the sum of money being paid again to the fighters. Throughout the latest UFC antitrust lawsuit — together with one which’s been settled and one other nonetheless ongoing — financials launched confirmed that fighters had been usually making between 16 to twenty p.c of the income.
Main sports activities leagues just like the NFL and NBA pay out 50 p.c of the income to gamers as a part of collective bargaining agreements struck with highly effective unions representing the athletes. No such unions exist in MMA and that goes for the UFC, PFL or anyone else getting concerned with the game.
Whereas Brown is comfortable to see a corporation just like the PFL hand out these $1 million checks and signal fighters like former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou to profitable offers, he simply doesn’t see how that pays off over time.
“To be trustworthy, I’m undecided how they’ve existed this far,” Brown mentioned concerning the PFL. “In the event that they maintain doing no matter they’re doing, perhaps they maintain current. I don’t actually know the way it’s working presently. They purchased Bellator, and all of us thought effectively perhaps they might now be a transparent No. 2, as a result of they had been claiming they had been No. 2 earlier than, like near the UFC or some shit, and it’s like no, not likely. It’s mainly UFC and all people else. You’re all all people else.
“After they purchased Bellator, we thought effectively perhaps one thing good will occur right here and guys can have different choices and a few good issues will come of it. Once more, I don’t understand how they survived this far. How do they get by means of 2025… I’m not likely positive the way it’s working.”
In the meantime, World Struggle League made a splash after asserting plans for a team-based format that’s anticipated to launch in 2025 with a protracted record of notable names already signed to the roster.
Quite a few ex-UFC champions signed contracts to combat for GFL with the corporate asserting a 50/50 income break up with athletes, insurance coverage protection and even retirement advantages.
All of it sounds good on paper, however Brown can’t assist however query if that’s really going to end in a successful system for GFL. Add to that, Brown doesn’t purchase that the workforce format is ever going to work in MMA, particularly after previous promotions just like the IFL have tried and failed with that very same idea.
“You’re simply f*cking up,” Brown mentioned concerning the workforce format in GFL. “To construct any person caring a couple of workforce, I don’t even understand how you do this. Individuals care about soccer and basketball groups, that’s fully totally different. I don’t understand how you get individuals occupied with caring a couple of combat workforce for a metropolis. Individuals care about stars and drama. That’s it. I hope the test cashes. I hope it doesn’t bounce.”
As a lot as Brown desires fighters to have choices, which implies these different promotions must exist, he simply doesn’t understand how anyone goes to discover a marketing strategy that really works outdoors of a scenario like what’s occurring in boxing proper now.
“In case you take a look at all of the promotions which can be large between boxing and UFC, all of them began type of small and took many, a few years to construct,” Brown mentioned. “How you can begin from the highest, except you’re doing what Saudi Arabia is doing the place you’ve acquired simply trillions at your disposal and it’s play cash simply throwing just a few million round right here and there, since you need to see cool fights, which is a very totally different factor.
“This enterprise mannequin [in MMA], I’d prefer to see their accountants’ numbers. The place are you including up right here ultimately the place all of this is smart?”
