Over the last few years, the UFC has seen a huge increase in popularity thanks to the big names that make the sport what it is. The likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Khabib Nurmagomedov captivated the attention of the audience and helped the UFC in capturing new markets and new fans. Not only were they good fighters, all the aforementioned names brought massive financial success for themselves and the UFC. According to a veteran UFC referee, it takes more than just being a good fighter to be successful in the UFC.
Greg Klenjans is a former fighter turned MMA referee. He has served as a referee all around the world for various promotions, including the UFC. Klenjans recently sat down for an exclusive interview with The SportsRush. When he was asked if the UFC should broaden their horizons and ask their scouts to look for talents in other parts of the world, he said,
“If that is what they’re looking for, if they’re looking to get the best fighters in the world, I am sure that is what they are trying to do. But it is also an entertainment industry as well. I have been blessed enough to do some shows in these Russian organisations, and there are some absolute killers out there. But are they going to sell tickets? Are people going to want to pay to see them? I am not sure about that sort of stuff.”
Klenjans continued by saying that there are multiple examples of fighters who are really good at what they do. However, they’re unable to sell tickets. He added that being a successful fighter in the UFC means finding the balance between being marketable and being a good fighter.
What does it take to be successful in the UFC?
At the end of the day, the UFC is a business and prioritizes making money. In order to do so, the promotion has to sign the best talent and put on the most interesting fights in order to lure fans to buy PPVs and watch events in person. There are multiple examples of fighters who were supremely talented but could not sell well. Demetrious Johnson and Tyron Woodley are a few examples of champions who were supremely talented but did not have the star power to go with it.
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On the other hand, there are fighters such as Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz who were never world champions. However, they were extremely marketable and brought in a lot of money for the UFC despite never being a champion. Then there are the likes of Conor McGregor, Sean O’Malley, Khabib Nurmagomedov and more, who are a perfect mix of the two. These are the fighters that ultimately go on to become household names.
