The UFC wouldn’t be what it is today without its champions crossing over from the octagon to mainstream media and becoming household names. The promotion’s president Dana White agrees. Citing Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey as examples of stand-out personalities the sport thrives off of, White says that they are what drives business.
Speaking to Mark Bouris about the importance of stars in the business, the UFC bossman said,
“We had GSP from Canada who ignited that entire country, Brandon Moreno from Mexico, Weili Zhang, who is fighting here this weekend from China…When you have like a Conor McGregor or a Ronda Rousey, who are globally, you know, big superstars, that’s what grows the sport, that’s what makes people jump on board. It’s very star-driven.”
This is a staple of sports entertainment. Wrestling promotions, to his day, get the biggest pop from the crowd when the hometown wrestler shows up. Take Shawn Michaels in Texas and CM Punk in Chicago for example! White has long tried to do the same by finding similar fighters from different regions of the world, fighters who bring a patriotic flavor to their game.
McGregor had the country of Ireland walking behind him humming to the tunes of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Foggy Dew’.Volkavovski is a beloved star across the globe but his appeal also comes from being unapologetically Australian; the same as Robert Whittaker.
This kind of regional stardom creates a seismic effect that transcends language, cultural, and geographical loyalties, which is something the UFC has been uniquely successful in doing.
It’s why American fans imitate Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev’s broken English and say ‘bratha‘ instead of brother and why Shavkat Rakhmonov is a fan favorite in a part of the world that is probably alien to his culture.
And therein lies the beauty of the sport. MMA is so primal that fans fall in love with someone they have nothing in common with, just as long as they can give the crowd a fight.
White talks about UFC’s global appeal
White has been witness to this major shift in his audiences as well. In the interview, he proudly talks about the promotion now being in a position where they can put on a show anywhere in the world and still manage to draw big crowds because its fighters are now globally known stars.
He cited the UFC 311 co-main event, which featured a Georgian and a Dagestani-Russian fighter competing in front of a sold-out crowd in Los Angeles. And UFC: Noche, which happened to be on the Mexican Independence day had Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili main eventing to a full house at The Sphere in Nevada.
White noted how, if it had been a boxing event a few years ago, promoters would have needed a Mexican fighter in the main event to guarantee a sellout.
“It’s fascinating because people just care about who the best in the world is. They don’t have to be from Australia, or from Los Angeles, or whatever. It’s one of the cool things about this sport.”
He also pointed out that the upcoming UFC event in Australia features a South African taking on an American in the main event, yet it has still managed to sell out.
The difficulty though, will be to ensure, that the UFC can grow at the same rate while ensuring this trend of local heroes becoming global superstars continues. Fortunately, White has a template!
