If you ask someone on the street today if he watches MMA, he may answer "no". But if you ask him if he knows of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, you'll see his face light up with recognition. The Ultimate Fighter has helped to catapult the UFC and MMA into mainstream culture making it the fastest growing sport (MMA schools and gyms have been sprouting up all over the country) in the United States.
The UFC and the MMA have come a long way from the "no-holds barred" days when political pressure nearly forced the fighting underground. Originally labeled by presidential candidate John McCain as "human cockfighting," the UFC has made changes to competition rules in order to legitimize the sport. And it has worked, as evidenced by recent pay-per-view numbers. Today, with stricter rules and procedures, the UFC has established its claim that MMA is a legitimate sport, and the fan base is exploding.
This explosion is due, in part, to the MMA industry's expansion to include live events (sales of UFC tickets for live events continue rise), pay-per-view, and reality television shows. All of this media attention has exposed more people to the sport and helped fuel the popularity explosion. The popularity of the sport was first evident in 2006 when an MMA event set an all-time single year revenue record, beating out World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Boxing.
Preceding this record setting event was the Spike TV reality show, The Ultimate Fighter. It was The Ultimate Fighter that helped introduce the UFC and MMA into mainstream culture. The Ultimate Fighter showcased the best up-and-coming MMA fighters. And because it was a reality show, it allowed fans to get a look at what life is like behind the scenes for an MMA fighter. This insider's view drew people, who hadn't heard of MMA before, into the sport and into the lives of the fighters. Allowing viewers to see the training that MMA fighters endure and giving glimpses of a fighter's personal life really drew people into the sport. It was a brilliant promotional feat on the part of UFC's management. The UFC not only got a new fighter, who had proven himself against his opponents, but they also attracted new fans. The viewers of the reality show became viewers of the sport as they followed the Ultimate Fighter's journey to the UFC league.
With the success that Spike TV had from The Ultimate Fighter, they decided to start showing re-runs of older fights. This gave new fans exposure to the history of the sport and again, added to MMA's popularity. Internet gambling on MMA events took off, surpassing Boxing in betting revenues in 2007. No longer a fringe sport, MMA is now featured on major sports websites such as Sports Illustrated and ESPN.
So what's next for the MMA? The UFC brass now has its sights set on expanding to worldwide competition. The way that many other cultures tend to follow the lead of the United States makes it quite plausible that the MMA will expand its horizons even further in the coming years.
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