oview
When you mention MMA, the casual fan will wax lyrical about one man in particular – Conor McGregor. You could say he has single-handedly been responsible for catapulting MMA into the mainstream through the UFC platform. In turn, this brought in major partnership deals that developed the product further. Now, MMA and the UFC have a level of popularity to rival boxing, which is a remarkable achievement.
Before we discuss the state of MMA before McGregor and mega-money sponsorship deals, it is wise to discuss how the Dubliner became the MMA icon he is today. In simple terms, it’s his personality, his brashness, his willingness to get involved in trash-talking, and how he used social media to his advantage. The 32-year-old generated massive interest in himself, MMA and the UFC by becoming The Notorious and portraying his trademark bombastic persona. It was step one in the move towards the mainstream.
Now, let’s look at the sport before 2016. The UFC’s leading platform MMA, made only incremental gains. In fact, it lost over £50 million in the twelve months between 2014 and 2015. However, enter 2016, the year McGregor fought three times, with high-profile bouts against the likes of Nate Diaz and Eddie Alvarez. There was then a phenomenal revenue climb of over £250 million. And while McGregor was mainly responsible for this positive change, we cannot ignore the substantial effect of major partners who came on board.
McGregor made MMA and UFC popular. He brought eyes to the sport and arguably changed the world of MMA. It went from hardcore viewers tuning in, to people who knew relatively little about MMA and the UFC. This is because they bought into what The Notorious was all about, as a personality. When you have millions of viewers worldwide, it encourages leading firms to get involved, as it’s the ideal scenario to promote a business, product or service.
The likes of iconic motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson, gaming giants EA Sports, and renowned airline AirAsia were several companies that worked with the UFC as sponsors. They’re global forces, and the deals in place, past and present, have cemented MMA’s place in the mainstream. Speaking of gaming, major game franchises like the Street Fighter 2 slot machine has fast become one of the most popular slots, and it’s because of the rapid rise of the UFC that helped make this possible.
Is the popularity of MMA and the UFC down to one man, in the shape of Conor The Notorious McGregor? Probably not. But, he certainly put it on the track to success, catapulted the sport into the spotlight, and made millions people worldwide, want to watch the matches. In addition, the Irishman has, and continues to play his role well, even if it is in a smaller capacity. The leading companies who got involved, for financial reasons primarily, also did a magnificent job in making MMA credible as a mainstream product. All of this growth has been built on by the UFC, as the industry continues to go from strength to strength. Even with Conor McGregor retiring on multiple occasions.