The Super Fight League began its life ambitiously. Unfortunately for all of the “Boom. Pow. Punch kick wow” fans, the outlook has went from dim to complete and utter blackness with the announcement from the UFC that they are headed to India.
The market that the SFL attempted to capitalize on has merely opened the door for the UFC to enter and crush their hopes.
The first SFL event drew the eyes of over 300,000 viewers. The second show? A spectacular 99 percent drop-off to a mere 3,000.
Andrew Lu, a magazine editor in India, shed some light on the situation in an interview with MMAMania.com: “The first show got a ton of India viewers, but it didn’t hold their attention for to long because they thought it was going to be like the WWE.”
Lu continued:
I think using Bollywood to promote MMA was a really bad idea. The media spoke to the Bollywood stars present at SFL 1 and 90% of them said that the sport should be banned and that it was fake and setting a bad example for their children.
Not exactly a glowing review.
Enter the UFC, who announced a partnership with Multi Screen Media (MSM)—a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television—for a multi-year television distribution deal.
The SFL has at least introduced MMA to the media in India. However, the UFC will showcase the elite talent of the sport and introduce it to the massive market before running a show. In addition to the UFC’s marketing power, the organization has plans in the works to film an Indian version of The Ultimate Fighter in the future.
While the UFC takes a deliberate and methodical approach in opening the new market for their brand, the SFL will continue throwing money at it. They are taking their May 6 card to Delhi. SFL co-owner Raj Kundra still had a ridiculous optimistic outlook for the SFL brand in a recent interview with The Times of India.
“First we’re doing North India, then we’ll take it to the south and also film our reality show, before the grand finale in December,” said Kundra.
The SFL seems to be making the mistake that many promotions have already made: trying to make a splash with flash instead of a steady growth with substance.
They have dove in to the deep end of the swimming pool without a life preserver in sight.
And as they open the door for MMA in what could be a large market for the sport, the UFC waits, patiently drawing up a game plan to enter the fray to assert themselves as the premier brand of the sport.
With the announcement that the UFC is coming to India, the SFL brass had to have let out a depressing sigh, as they know their days are numbered. There is the possibility that they could remain on the scene as a smaller national promotion, but when the UFC brings their superior product to the country, it will be an eye-opening experience for the fans.
And the death knell for the SFL.
Dana White is soon to have another promotion to place on a headstone, as the UFC is going to “Boom. Pow. Punch kick wow” the SFL into submission.
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