Speaking English plays a huge role in making money if one’s a fighter in the UFC. The Dagestanis were the first to figure this out, and now, following their suit are Brazilian fighters, Gilbert Burns and Renato Moicano.
Very early on in his career, Khabib Nurmagomedov knew that to be more marketable, they would have to learn the language. He passed down this knowledge to every fighter from his camp.
Understanding and speaking the language is a big plus for fighters since they primarily work in the United States and it can help them get more ad and sponsorship opportunities.
Moicano and Burns themselves are now hosting a podcast in English. They talk for hours in English about everything that is happening in the world of combat sports. They can be accessed on both Spotify and Apple, which gives them a huge audience to cater to.
This is something they credit to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. They even posted a video of Makhahev taunting Charles Oliveira about not speaking or understanding English.
” If you want to make some money, you have to speak some language which everybody understand”
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However, there are exceptions to the English rule. UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, for example, is one of the biggest stars in the company and doesn’t speak a shred of English. Well, it also helps that he has the persona of someone who doesn’t talk very much, and he absolutely goes through his opponents, and often.
Poatan goes to Korea
It’s a testament to his stardom that when he landed in Seoul, the airport was chanting “Chama” to welcome the Brazilian fighter. Pereira spent quite a bit of time in the country, mingling with fans, clicking pictures, and sparring at local gyms.
Alex Pereira and Jun Yong Park sparring in South Korea pic.twitter.com/VUtDNeXIB0
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) November 21, 2024
The UFC light heavyweight champion even got into a ‘punching power’ contest with actor Don Lee at one of these local gyms. Unfortunately, he lost. The people loved him all the same.
And it’s not just Korea. Pereira was seen in the USA earlier this year, randomly clicking pictures and chatting with a group of young men who seemed to be taken by Poatan’s aura.
