The UFC has made considerable progress in its expansion into the Chinese market…but with the wrong species.
Instead of watching humans engage in the purest form of fighting, the Chinese prefer to watch crickets attempt to subdue one another, according to ForeignPolicy.com’s Jonathan Browning.
Crickets—you didn’t misread. They really have crickets fight one another and it’s popular.
So what does this mean for the UFC’s expansion into China? Will the UFC do well there if they slap a cricket costume on UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones or some other superstar?
Probably not but the trend is worth paying attention to if only for the sheer oddity of it.
The “sport” isn’t just a fad or a one-time thing. It’s pretty popular in China.
People are even knowledgeable enough to enjoy attending tournaments! There is even an entire industry involving selling the competitors as well as the required gear for the sport (something to hold your “fighter” in as well as a stick to prod the two bugs with in order to get them angry enough to fight one another).
Cricket fighting is eco-friendly too! Losing crickets aren’t just killed. They are turned to bird food (and you thought Dana White was harsh?).
The importance of this seemingly unimportant, anecdotal piece of news is that China has a culture that is far different than the likes of any the UFC has tried to break into.
If the Chinese would rather see crickets fight than people, the UFC’s dreams of grandeur in China may not come to fruition for a while yet.
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