Forget mainstream, go hardcore
Sport has fallen out of favour with casual fans, but that might not be bad
In 2015, the UFC penetrated the mainstream in a substantial, prolonged way for the first time since Chuck Liddell was gracing the cover of ESPN the Magazine and making a cameo on Entourage.
Ronda Rousey became a household name, winning ESPY Awards and verbally sparring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. while collecting victories, crossing over into movies and trumpeting her “Don’t be a D.N.B.” approach to life. Beyoncé even dropped the audio of Rousey’s D.N.B. diatribe into one of her concerts. For the record, “D.N.B.” stands for “Do Nothing Bitch” and you can catch Rousey’s explanation of said philosophy on YouTube.
Hot on her heals was Conor McGregor, the brash Irishman who shared the spotlight with Rousey throughout the year thanks to his feverish pursuit of Jose Aldo and the featherweight title. The Irishman’s deftness with both his words and his weapons made him an instant hit with the larger audience and a staple on SportsCenter (but not SportsCentre), setting the stage for his historic 2016 campaign.
Even though Rousey suffered her first career defeat and lost her title to Holly Holm in the penultimate month of the year, the UFC maintained its studio apartment in the mainstream sports world as McGregor chased a second title (and Nathan Diaz) and everyone waited with baited breath for Rousey’s triumphant return.
In the final two months of 2016, the mainstream handed the UFC an eviction notice.
While McGregor made history by winning a second title at UFC 205, he followed it up by announcing he was taking time off to prep for fatherhood, which has since morphed into pursuing a lucrative boxing match with Mayweather. Six weeks later, reigning women’s bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes beat the breaks off Rousey in 48 seconds, once again resulting in her retreating from the public eye, her future in the cage in question.
McGregor has found a place of his own in the mainstream thanks to his seemingly inevitable clash with “Money,” but the sport has faded into the background once again as the lack of active marquee names and can’t-miss events to begin 2017 have failed to generate much buzz beyond the MMA bubble.
And you know what? I couldn’t be happier about it.
It feels like we’ve spent the last decade waiting for MMA to break through and establish a presence in the mainstream sporting landscape, but outside of a few fighters here and there and the odd massive event, it hasn’t happened. The likelihood it will in the future is slim as well.
So instead of chasing mainstream acceptance with big-name fights that ignore results and rankings in favour of the highest possible financial returns, now might be a good time to double-down on appealing to the hardcore set and keeping them engaged and excited about the product.
A one-time spike in pay-per-view buys for a marquee fight that makes no sense isn’t worth alienating the loyal savages who watch every event and still crave seeing the best fight the best, not the biggest name fighting the biggest name.
There are some who do want that, and there are those casuals who will only tune in when that is what’s being offered, but those folks aren’t checking out Fight Night 112 from Sioux Falls, S.D., headlined by a pair of bantamweight hopefuls and featuring the debut of some hotshot prospect.
It seems like an opportunity to take a cue from Major League Soccer, which is never given the same kind of mainstream real estate afforded the major sports here or south of the border, but has fostered a cult following in each member city and caters to those diehards.
Rather than trying to appeal to those who are only occasionally interested or completely unfamiliar, show the fanatics that tune in to Fight Pass events from Europe with their morning coffee they are valued and appreciated by giving them what they want most — compelling fights, championships belts that have value and meaning and matchups that keep divisions moving forward.
Build that loyal following to a point where they’re too loud and too prominent to ignore and the mainstream will have to open its door and invite you in.
It worked for hip-hop and it worked for comic books; maybe it can work for the UFC, too.
E. Spencer Kyte covers MMA for The Province and Sun. Follow him on social media: @spencerkyte.