After its inception in 1993, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has taken the world by storm. Dana White, the president of the UFC, has done a magnificent job of creating the UFC as a marketable and global sport, as evidenced by its partnership with TV giants FOX, Fuel TV and FX.
White has also done a commendable job of creating the Ultimate Fighter series, where participants are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete against the best mixed martial arts fighters in the world if they become successful.
The UFC is currently airing the second international installment of The Ultimate Fighter, where mixed martial artists from Australia and Great Britain take each other on with the help of their head coaches; George Sotiropoulos for the Australians and Ross Pearson for the British.
With White trying to reinforce the UFC as a true international brand, one might ask the question: What would happen if the best fighters from each continent and each weight division were faced off for the title of “Continental Champions of the World”?
The prospect of seeing the South Americans with Jose Aldo, Junior dos Santos and Anderson Silva facing off against a European contingent of Cheick Kongo, Stefan Struve and Denis Siver would be tantalizing.
Even an Asian team comprised of Yushin Okami, Chan Sung Jung and Cung Le up against Team North America with Georges St Pierre, Frankie Edgar and Chael Sonnen would garner in viewers from the Asian market.
If the UFC were to bring in this concept, it would have to be a playoff bracket format where the winning continent progresses to the next stage and the losing continent is eliminated. When the two final continents are left, the UFC could stage the final round of the “Best MMA Continent” in one of those two continents left remaining.
Imagine Team North America, with all the publicity surrounding Georges St Pierre and Nick Diaz, having to help prepare for the fights with each other. Or even the Brazilians having to share their grappling techniques with each other to be the champions of the world.
Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva III could also be on the books.
Introducing a concept like this would take months or even a few years to plan out thoroughly. If a concept like this were to materialize, the UFC could see huge windfalls. It could garner more viewers from Asian countries, European countries and African countries. The UFC could also sign a few more TV deals around the globe.
The untapped potential of fanbases around the world could be unlocked by unveiling a concept of this magnitude. The UFC could also unearth a few gem fighters in Africa, Oceania and Asia if one of its fighters can pull out huge upsets against the likes of Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Junior dos Santos.
I for one would certainly be a viewer of a concept like this.
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