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UFC seeks bigger pressure in China
The Ultimate Fighting Championship ( UFC) has staged more than 40 events since May 2020, all during a time when the coronavirus pandemic has dealt an unprecedented impact to world sports.
Now the UFC aims to widen its popularity in China: It has decided to host more events in the country as China prepares to restart hosting sports events as the COVID- 19 situation is generally under control.
Riding on the tides of Zhang Weili’s rising popularity in China after she claimed the UFC women’s strawweight title in 2019 and defended it the following year, the UFC has seen a quick rise in brand awareness in China.
Kevin Chang, senior vice president of the UFC’s Asia- Pacific operation, believed that Zhang’s success is “standing on the shoulders of giants.”
“Zhang Weili’s impact on our success in China is undeniable, but in sports, champions ‘ stand on the shoulders of giants,’” Chang told the Global Times.
It was February 27, 2011, when a Chinese fighter debuted at a UFC bout, as Zhang Tiequan defeated US featherweight fighter Jason Reinhardt in Australia. Today, China has 12 fighters competing in the UFC.
“Zhang Tiequan was the pioneer who started it all off, and then his pupil Li ‘ Leech’ Jingliang carried the torch by himself for a few years after that,” Chang said.
“These guys fought so hard for us not only in the Octagon, but also to grow awareness and educate people about the UFC as brand ambassadors. We are forever grateful for their contributions.”
Mind- set change
As the old Chinese saying goes “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” This reflects a tradition in China that puts intellectual ability over physical ability; however, it is believed this has impaired MMA’s development in China.
But Chang believes that people holding such ideas should change their minds.
“To discount the level of mental ability that exists in all sports, particularly MMA, is wrong,” Chang said.
“Some say that competing in combat sports is 90 percent mental, which indicates that you cannot separate physical ability as the sole factor to success in the competition. There is so much strategy, visualization and mental toughness required to even step into the Octagon.”
A research study conducted earlier in 2020 by YouGov, GWI and Simmons said the UFC’s fanbase in China has grown to more than 173.8 million.
To further engage fans in China, the UFC last week penned a major multi- year content deal with China’s Migu, a content and livestreaming platform that is a subsidiary of China’s telecommunication giant China Mobile.
Since Article 46, a major government policy, was introduced 2014, sports and fitness have gradually become the top priority of China’s sports reform.
“The right partnership would give us the opportunity to take the UFC far beyond general sports fans,” Chang said.
“Our vision for the UFC is to be an iconic global sports brand inspiring all to break barriers, push limits, and make the impossible possible.
“This partnership will help us expand in new ways outside the Octagon including health and fitness.”
As the fanbase in China grows, the UFC is increasingly looking to expand its roster of Chinese fighters.
“It’s no secret that local talent is the core driver for the popularity of any competition. It’s a very simple concept, often called the ‘ Yao Ming effect,’” Chang said, referring to basketball great Yao Ming, who played a pivotal role in the rise of basketball’s popularity in China.
“The increase in quality of local talent can be attributed to a variety of things, including the fact that the level of training and resources in top clubs in the country have improved so much in such a short time, as well as our direct involvement to bridge the gap between UFC caliber.”
The UFC established a $ 13 million Performance Institute in Shanghai in 2019, where 40 elite young MMA athletes are currently training.
Chinese Olympic athletes have also been given access by the UFC to the training institute as part of their preparations for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Summer Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
UFC’s talent scouting series, Dana White’s Contender Series Asia, is also expected to be hosted there. “As in all sports, achievements beget progress and evolution and that is precisely what this generation of local talent is doing: Paving the way for barriers to be broken, limits to be pushed, and human potential in China to shine,” Chang said.
Now the fans have pinned their hopes on names like Yan Xiaonan, Song Yadong and Li Jingliang, who are all climbing in the rankings in the UFC.
“As soon as it makes sense [ to host events amid COVID- 19], we will start to host both Dana White’s Contender Series Asia from the Performance Institute in Shanghai, as well as hosting UFC China events in different cities,” Chang noted.