Mixed Martial Arts is a hugely growing and popular sport. It is continually growing each year with more and more people being drawn to it and it fast becoming as established as other sports that have been around forever. So, what is the attraction? Free spins are not the attraction so why is MMA becoming so successful?
MMA and UFC are not the same
To first set the record straight, Mixed Martial Arts and UFC are two separate things. UFC is an organization, business, and MMA is a sport. MMA is channeled through it. The UFC builds its business upon MMA sport. As we know the success of any business is through the consumer and in the case of Mixed Martial Arts, it is the fans. The fans are the crux of the matter. It is they who decide whether MMA sport is successful or not. So, what is it that fans are looking for and what is it that satisfies them?
Historically speaking…
MMA started out as a fight between two fighters, each fighter excelling in a particular martial art with different styles and very few rules applied. Originally UFC fights did not stipulate specific weight categories or set rules as they do today. Back then people were fascinated by the differing styles of the fighters and curious to see which style of fighting would be more successful. The fights were also tournament based, so the last man standing led to the idea that the “top martial art” was the winner.
Also, the entertainment value was seeing two fighters pitted against each other and the glee at which fans wanted to see one of them knocked out! The attraction of these early MMA fights and perhaps even today is that “gladiator” association. Fans were and are drawn to this type of Colosseum of Rome attraction. Good or bad this is something that really draws in the populace, back then and also now. True, there is no fighting till the death but there are still two people fighting each other, one will be victorious. It begs the question- Why are people drawn to this spectacle?
As humans we are naturally competitive. Our natural instinct is to be competitive and with our social institutions encouraging us to want to be the best this is an acceptable part of our society. There are other parts of the ‘arena’ experience which is also part of the whole package, like scantily dressed women performing for the fans, the majority of whom are male.
What draws people to the sport?
However, the sport does have structure and significance. Fans are rooting for one of the contestants, rather than a team, like in other sports. They are backing the player, the fighter that speaks to them. With MMA you are not focusing on a team, you are focusing on the particular fighter, the particular athlete in question.
MMA fighters are individuals. They have their own looks, styles, abilities and personalities. They also probably have their own country. You are not really cheering for the country to which the athlete is associated, you’re cheering for the individual player. You only have to think a few moments at the number of Mixed Martial Arts fighters you might recognize and compare that to how many hockey players you know. Mixed Martial Arts fighters are pretty well known due to their specific personalities, styles and of course their abilities.
Fans are becoming more and more educated about the sport and the stylistic draw is there. So many people are now turning to Mixed Martial Arts training and learning more about the sport in a more intense way. The more people learn and understand how technical Mixed Martial Arts games are, the more they come to appreciate the sport.
Generally speaking, most of those interested in fighting are excited by the spectacle. No matter if it’s a knock out or submission, both draw in the fans. Fighting, it seems, is something that excites. Getting to the top is something that we build our lives around and sometimes that means stepping on others on the way up.
With Mixed Martial Arts many of the athletes are connected. Some of the top guys in the organizations are also very connected with their fans. An example of this is Dana White.
We are drawn to the athletes and forever curious about them. We are intrigues by what makes them tick. Of course, they are good fighters but their fighting is also providing them with a livelihood. For many of them, this is their only means of making a living. It is in this way that they support themselves and their families. In this way, fans really relate to them. This is true of athletes in many other sports but for some reason fans do not seem to feel the same connection with them as they do with MMA fighters.
It could be that these other athletes play lots of games and are on a regular schedule. MMA fighters on the other hand train and prepare and then fight. They fight maybe a few times a year and everyone knows what kind of financial rewards they are getting with each fight. With athletes in other sports where the financial rewards go into millions, it is hard for fans to feel a real personal connection with them.
Ultimately fans have all kinds of reasons why they are attracted to Mixed Martial Art fighters. Becoming a fan of MMA is far more personal than when becoming a fan of other sports. Competition and individualism are human characteristics that are clearly seen in MMA.