As the Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to expand its global reach, a portion of its original home base, North America, refuses to roll with the punches.
Claims of current saturation visually impair the ability to forecast what the future may hold.
The organization has widely predicted it has the opportunity to be bigger than soccer. Despite the business models and sports being vastly different, the similarities continue to come together. While the four major sports in North America focus on their home turf, the UFC is looking past the boundaries of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Since 1993, Canadian and American fans have been spoiled with UFC events catering to their time zones, while the rest of the world was forced to watch at obscure times throughout the day.
Now that the UFC is holding events in international territories, catering to the local time zones, Canadian and American fans are seething. Some complain about the early morning or late night start times ignorant of the fact that their fellow fans around the world have been doing so for 20 years.
To provide an avenue for their fans to enjoy each and every event, the organization created “UFC Fight Pass,” an online media platform that was predicted to be “the future” by the company, dating back to about 2007. Seven years later, it’s a reality, and at $9.95 per month, its been met with equal parts disdain admiration.
Price gouging is a term thrown out quite often. Exceptional value is it’s counterpart, but no matter which side of the fence one may be on, truth be told, it’s irrelevant.
UFC Fight Pass is not a necessity to survive like clean water or fresh air. It’s a luxury. The UFC product is not a mandatory right to have, it’s a form of entertainment that anyone has the right to consume. And like all others, it’s not free — nor should it be.
Far too many people forget the fact that the UFC is a business, not a provider of free goods. It’s no different than the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB or the MLS. None of these organizations force humanity to watch their products. They are an option for consumers to select and spend their hard earned money on.
But what separates the UFC from the North American sporting organizations is their international reach. They appear to be modeling their brand more like FIFA, the international governing body for soccer than the shield or crest of the NFL or NHL.
If we quickly examine the NHL, MLB, NBA and MLS, cries of saturation are few and far between. It is impossible to watch every game, every night, throughout a whole season, but if one would like to, the option to do so is there. But compare this to international soccer, and it is dwarfed by comparison.
Over the weekend, and under the FIFA banner, there were a minimum of 996 soccer games played globally on Saturday, and 760 games on Sunday. If one was to simply to focus on games pertaining to the big leagues like Serie A, Barclay’s Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, etc, there were over 50 games played in a 48 hour period.
UFC fans complain about saturation, too many events, etc, but over the years, fans of footy have grown accustomed to watching their favorite team, players or match-ups that they deem the best value for their dime and time.
Big games are played in Europe during local prime time, catering mainly to the time zone of whichever city the public resides in. They don’t concern themselves with markets overseas (e.g. North America) as the thinking is probably simple: if they want to watch, they will. If not, it’s business as usual.
FIFA overseas all of it’s product around the world. The UFC appears to already be mimicking this model and it looks as if it will continue to do so, growing by leaps and bounds. Events will take place all over the world, with talent development a by-product of it.
Watch the FIFA World Cup, the Euro’s or Copa America, and you will see a nationalistic pride in it’s fan base which is second to none. The same will take place with UFC athletes and their fans. But it will take time to grow, develop and evolve.
In the meantime, UFC fans that can afford the additional $9.95 a month, will be able to enjoy it to it’s fullest. If one cannot watch live, they can log in whenever they like, and the live event they may have just missed will be part of the already massive library of events, fights, specialty shows, etc.
There was once a time when there was barely any MMA content available for hardcore fans. Now, consumers can view it at home, via various cable companies, channels, all alongside the luxury of extra content online. No fan is created the same, but each and every one has options to consume what they want, when they want, for how much they want.
It should also be noted if you think there is too much UFC now, wait until the rest of the world catches up with the North American “saturation.” Think FIFA. Now think the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and the potential of true, world championships, developed regionally and nationally, culminating with a true international champion from a country who may not even have a fighter to have ever competed for the big show.
While many still wonder if the UFC is truly mainstream in North America, with the ability to compete with the four major sports, the reality is that this is just one item on it’s agenda. The true fight is competing with the major sports in all the big markets around the world. Think Cricket, Rugby, Australian Rules Football and other regional sports that are like religion in many countries, similar to how ice hockey is to fans in Canada.
The fight has already started for the UFC, as they continue to host events all over the globe, developing these markets and talent, every minute of every day. But the reality is that they have yet to enter the championship rounds, and if some were to sit back and think about it for a moment, step away from their myopic views, they would see what the future holds for the sport of MMA.
I recall a time when no one would give me the time of day when it came to MMA; no mainstream media outlet would even look at it. Times have changed, as have some of the arguments, but many seem to never go away. The UFC is a fad, it’s dying, etc. I’ve heard it since the mid 90’s.
It’s 2014, and the future appears brighter than it ever has been.