The North American Mixed Martial Arts Expo: A Fan's Perspective

On Saturday, December 1^, I attended my first NAMMAE North American Mixed Martial Arts Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center.

I wouldn't have even known it was coming to town if I hadn't created a Google Alert for "MMA."

I looked at the website and noticed that several of my favorite fighters were going to be there, as well as some vendors and brands that I'm interested in, so I had to go.

Upon entering the Expo hall, I was impressed with the work that must have gone into putting all of the booths together. Don't get me wrong—it's not like CES, where there are million-dollar booths—but this is an industry that is still in its infancy. Each vendor did a great job displaying their brand and products.

I'm very interested in this industry, as I think it has the greatest potential for exponential growth of any sport in the world today. As with every industry, MMA is not only comprised of various promotional organizations. There are fitness apparel, nutritional supplements, gym equipment, and training centers that all stand to gain from the exposure that a show like this offers.

A few of the highlights of the day were Extreme Couture's booth, where Randy "The Natural" Couture sat, signing autographs and striking a pose with his many fans. I'm sure he had the longest line of fans for the day.

The other big draw for the day were Tito Ortiz and his Punishment exhibit. Tito showed up to greet a long line of fans which had been waiting over an hour to meet him.

The Tapout crew was also in attendance. The motor home, made popular by their hit TV show, was perfectly positioned in the corner, right across from the food vendors. The line was so long you had to stop for a snack.

I got my photo with many of my favorite fighters. A few of these were Brandon Vera, Mike Swick, Jon Fitch, Joe Stevenson, Gray Maynard, Mark Coleman, Don Frye, KJ Noons, Tyson Griffin, and Diamond Dallas Page.

Although he's not an MMA fighter, I was happy to meet Diamond, and I have to say, he was a wonderful dude. He spoke with me as if we were old buddies that had been out of touch for awhile. I was very impressed with him.

Another unexpected highlight was my conversation with Lisa "The Black Widow" King. She was one of the representatives attending the Fatal Femmes Fighting booth.

She got my attention with her stunning features.

However, I soon realized there was so much more to them then just a pretty face.

With all of the women dressed in some of the shortest shorts and skirts I've ever seen, I think there must have been a “How Trashy Can your Booth Girls Be” Contest going on.

Lisa, along with boothmate and 120-lb champion Lisa Ward, was far from trashy. They were lovely, intelligent, engaging women.

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