UFC Taking Britain To The Bank

Written By Trevor Lane

The current season of The Ultimate Fighter features something that no previous season has: an official competition between two different countries.  The United States and the United Kingdom have been split into two different camps, with the sides set to do battle not just for personal glory but for their respective homelands as well. 

Of course, this will create plenty of drama for the show, as the fighters will not only have extra motivation for their fights but they will also have cultural differences to deal with inside the house.  The Ultimate Fighter revolves around competition and drama, so the hope is that this season will feature the best of both. 

The UFC, like all professional sports leagues, is a business first and foremost.   There are already plenty of American stars in the UFC, but would having another British champion help the UFC’s bottom line?  

While much has been made of the UFC’s expanding presence in the United States, it has also been growing by leaps and bounds in the United Kingdom.  By the time Michael Bisping and Ross Pointon represented the UK on TUF Season three, MMA had already gained a solid foothold across the pond.  It was Bisping’s victory, however, that truly cemented the UFC’s status in the UK.

Growing sports leagues would of course like to expand their sphere of influence whenever possible.  For example, take a look at the NBA.  While basketball has remained popular in the United States, commissioner David Stern has focused on breaking into foreign markets to find new opportunities for growth.  International players such as Yao Ming (China), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), and Pau Gasol (Spain) are helping to fuel the NBA’s popularity in their home countries just as guys like Bisping have done for the UFC. 

Taking advantage of international growth opportunities is important in any economy, but with the current economic crisis it’s absolutely crucial.  Like the NBA, the UFC needs as many international fighters as possible to help open up foreign markets and find new sources of revenue. 

With that in mind, having a second TUF champ from the UK would do wonders for the UFC’s revenue in that region.  While UFC shows there actually average slightly larger crowds than they do in the US, the real money would be made in merchandising.  Simply put, popular fighters sell products.  If the next Ultimate Fighter was from the UK and was somehow able to mimic the rise of a guy like Forrest Griffin, it’s very likely that Dana White would be doing backflips into the Thames.

There is also the potential that another UK champion draws not only fans from England, but from the rest of Europe as well.  European MMA fans would identify more with a British fighter than they would a fighter from the Western Hemisphere.  So there is no doubt that a victory for the UK side would be beneficial for the UFC, now they just need a fighter skilled enough to do it. 

While the odds of a fighter capturing lightning in a bottle the way Griffin did after the inaugural season of TUF are very low, the UK side does appear to have a very talented group of fighters, which was to be expected, considering the fact that aside from Bisping, Dan Hardy, and a few select others, the UK is a generally untapped source of talent. 

For UK fighters, season nine of TUF is essentially season one.  The fighters that we see on this season of TUF will be some of the best that the UK has to offer, period.  Keep in mind that Griffin, Stephan Bonner, Diego Sanchez, Josh Kocheck, Mike Swick, Chris Leben, and Nate Quarry all came off of TUF Season one.  That’s six solid performers and one breakout superstar.  No other season has come close to duplicating that feat, largely due to the fact that the talent pool had yet to be tapped in the US.

The UFC already has the deepest talent pool out of any MMA organization, and if they can add a few more solid fighters from the UK they will only improve on that depth.  Of course, with depth comes an increase in the overall quality of the fights.  Take a look at the current light heavyweight division, where there seems to be a limitless number of legitimate challengers to Rashad Evans’ belt.  As the UFC unearths new talent the level of competition will continue to go up across the weight divisions, which is great news both for fans and the bottom line. 

It’s unknown whether or not this venture into the UK’s MMA world will prove profitable for the UFC.  It’s possible that MMA training in the US is a few years ahead of what’s being offered in the UK, which US Coach Dan Henderson mentioned on the latest TUF episode.  The exciting part though is that the potential is also there for the UFC to reveal a whole new crop of talented, marketable fighters that could take the sport to a whole new level of worldwide popularity, and make them a few dollars in the process.

You can find more of Trevor’s writing over at MMAMadness.com