MMA is the fastest growing sport of all-time, but is it here to stay?
In 10 years, the sport has produced household names like UFC president Dana White, Chuck Liddell, Georges St-Pierre, Randy Couture, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Anderson Silva.
But as we look at the past to determine the future, was the growth of the UFC and MMA a result of a popular fad that blew up within the 18-34 age demographic, or is this a sport that’s going to only get bigger and better as the years go by?
Undoubtedly, the obvious answer is that this sport is an unstoppable force that will ultimately conquer the love and passion from fans exactly how it conquered me.
Years ago, I stumbled across the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, and I was immediately hooked. In fact, I was really the only person in my close group of friends that enjoyed it. The others mocked me for liking the sport because traditionally, we all liked football, baseball and basketball, so liking a sport like “ultimate fighting” was kind of ridiculous.
No other sports could compare to those sports in our mind, but my mind was quickly changed when I saw Chuck Liddell competing in the Octagon. As the months went by, I became more and more addicted until I was at the point where I didn’t miss a fight. And what I’ve noticed throughout the years is that it’s incredibly addicting.
Not only do I have my father watching it every now and then on his own, but I have some of those same friends that would tell me I tweet too much about MMA watching fights with me. In fact, most of them can’t wait for the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.
As I went to college, I wrote a weekly MMA column in the university’s newspaper, and again, I was ridiculed for writing about a “sport” that promoted so much violence. My professors would constantly joke with me about it, and after being in the paper for two years, I finally have them coming around.
In fact, my biggest critic and hardest professor at Nicholls State University comes to me time after time and talks about how great Silva is. The reason I’m telling you all of this is because the sport is unbelievably addicting, and as it continues to bring in better athletes, the fans will continue to increase.
All it takes is more exposure, and that’s exactly what the Fox deal will do for the sport. With the UFC on Fox and FX and Bellator on Spike in 2013, the amount of exposure is going to be unfathomable.
This sport is destined to become one of the biggest sports in the world, and I’m honored that I was around to see legends like Fedor Emelianenko and Silva in their prime.
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