From time immemorial, there has been an opinion that two main things are necessary for the crowd - bread and circuses. It goes without saying that such a statement in the modern interpretation implies that people have sufficient funds for a normal life. Because on this moment Since a fairly impressive part of the world's population has all the material goods, it was quite logical that new entertainments for the public appeared, which are sometimes quite cruel, but at the same time spectacular.
One of these tournaments, which emerged at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries and still attracts millions of viewers, is the UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship. It is this media product that has grown from a small tournament into a global organization, under the auspices of which a great many eminent athletes from all over the world perform. Thanks to this championship martial arts received tremendous recognition and love, and the owners of the promotion - billions in profits.
A brief excursion into history
So, before we figure out how to get into the UFC, first of all, let's get acquainted with the main milestones of the organization itself.
She owes her appearance to a businessman from California, Arthur Davey. It was his studies of martial arts in 1991 that allowed him to meet one of the adepts of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Rorion Gracie. This tandem subsequently stimulated the holding of the world's first tournament among fighters of different directions. It happened on November 12, 1993, when representatives of boxing, karate, savate, shootboxing, sumo and jiu-jitsu met in the octagon cage. It was a Brazilian named Royce Grace who eventually won the first UFC championship. There were no weight categories at that time.
Features of the first competition
Despite the fact that the motto "No rules!" was originally cultivated, in fact it was not so. It was forbidden to gouge eyes, bite, beat in the groin, tear the mouth. Basically, the fighters adhered to a certain ethics and did not allow themselves liberties. Although a case is known when in a duel between Hackney and Sana, the latter received several deliberate blows to the causal place. In addition, the newly created martial arts were characterized by the fact that the anthropometric difference between rivals could be simply gigantic. So, in the fight between Keith Hackney and Emmanuel Yarborough, the difference in weight was 180 kilograms.
Confrontation with the senator
It is today that many fighters are asking the question: “How to get into the UFC?” But after the first competition, US Senator John McCain made every effort to ban the now insanely popular promotion. According to the politician, such fights were the embodiment of cruelty and had no right to exist. Therefore, he sent letters to all states of the country with a request to ban the display of such tournaments. For this reason, the UFC went to contact with the athletic commissions and made changes to the rules and regulations, thanks to which protective gloves appeared, the number of bans increased, and rounds with a certain duration (five minutes) were established.
The rescue
Long ordeals and bureaucratic red tape have brought the UFC to the brink of extinction. But the situation changed radically when, in 2001, former promoter Boxing Dana White and several casino executives Frank and Lorenzo Faritta bought the organization for $2 million. To do this, they created a company called "Zuffa".
Rules
Almost every fighter, before getting into the UFC, is already quite familiar with the rules. The leading American MMA organization adheres to the following requirements in its rules for conducting fights:
Taboo
As for prohibited actions, the following are not allowed in the octagon:
Weight frames
- flyweight (from 53 to 57 kg);
- bantamweight (from 57 to 61 kg);
- semi a light weight(from 61 to 66 kg);
- light weight (from 66 to 70 kg);
- welterweight (from 70 to 77 kg);
- average weight (from 77 to 84 kg);
- light heavyweight (from 84 to 93 kg);
- heavy weight (from 93 to 120 kg).
In women, there is still a minimum weight (from 48 kg to 52 kg).
Ways to sign a contract with the UFC
If you analyze what you need to get into the UFC, you can find out: the athlete who adheres to several points becomes the fighter of this tournament. We will dwell on them in more detail.
It is necessary to have a certain talent and train regularly with full dedication.
As practice shows, this statement is 100% true. There are many cases when a talented fighter could not be fully realized due to elementary laziness. Therefore, as folk wisdom says: "Work and labor will grind everything."
There are a huge number of examples when a fighter started his career in a less well-known promotion than the UFC. Take the same Eddie Alvarez. This guy started his performances in Bellator, became a champion there and ended up in the UFC. Or Belarusian Andrey Arlovsky, who, as many believed, had already gone off the rails big sport, returned to the main octagon of the planet again thanks to his diligence and ability to work.
Fall in love with the audience and TV people
It was in this way that Chel Sonnen fought for the title three times, who, in principle, does not have bright fighting skills. In fact, this paragraph helps to understand how Conor McGregor got into the UFC, since he is also a recognized master of trash talk. Due to his bright and sparkling statements, he was able to attract the attention of the public, and then back up his words with active actions in the cage, literally shocking the world with an instant victory over the former champion
Escape via TUF
The Ultimate Fighter is a show that hundreds of fighters went through and saved the organization from bankruptcy. This "meat grinder" was visited by: Nate Diaz, Kenny Florian, Forrest Griffin, Mat Serra, Josh Koscheck, Rashad Evans and many other stars that many MMA fans know today. Thanks to the fights in this mini-tournament, many guys were at the top.
To be "deficient"
In this case, only weight is meant. If you look at how many fights it takes to reach the middleweight title shot, and how many fights for the flyweight division, it becomes clear: the little wrestler will be in a better position.
To be a star of any other martial arts
Everything is clear here. It is much easier to promote an athlete who has already created a name for himself than to raise him from the bottom. A poster in the style of “the best boxer in the world in the past, and now an MMA fighter” will always attract the public and, accordingly, money, for which, in principle, everything is done. And finally, another way to get into the UFC.
Fill out the form
Most recently, the UFC made it possible for athletes to fill out an online form on their website and post videos of their fights. Based on the results of the views, the management can make an offer to the fighter to sign a contract. As we see, modern technologies also do their job and save athletes time.
These briefly described actions allow you to understand how to get into the UFC, fights in which are a matter of prestige for many masters of hand-to-hand combat.
The contract with the UFC is currently signed at 35 Russian fighters. A few dozen more would like to sign it. Match TV asks how to do it.
From 1993 to 2012, five fighters from Russia managed to compete in the UFC, who spent 17 fights in five (9 of them - Oleg Taktarov). From 2012 to the present, 46 fighters representing Russia have entered the octagon. First in new era became Khabib Nurmagomedov (debut on January 20, 2012), in the same year Rustam Khabilov and Azamat Gashimov had their fights. After that, the Russians began to sign contracts with the UFC much more often.
Khabib's close friend Eldar Eldarov negotiated the contract with manager Sam Carden (real name Shamil Kardanov. - "Match TV"), and Carden negotiated with UFC matchmaker Joe Silva.
Since 2016, Joe Silva has not worked in the UFC, and even earlier, Khabib Nurmagomedov began to cooperate with the tandem of managers Rizvan Magomedov and Ali Abdelaziz, considered one of the most influential in the UFC. Abdelaziz and Magmoedov manage the affairs of most of the fighters from Russia, Sayat Abdrakhmanov is considered the second in terms of the number of signed Russians. A few more fighters from Russia are led by managers with fewer athletes on contracts. At the same time that more and more fighters from Russia are entering into agreements with the UFC, stories begin to sound sharper when someone failed to get into the organization.
Sayat Abdrakhmanov - about the lack of clear criteria
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlhfX7nFxuM/Story: Abdrakhmanov manages more than ten fighters signed in the UFC, Petr Yan works with him (No. 4 bantamweight rating), and the manager himself simultaneously cooperates with the Tiger gym in Thailand.
Now it is much easier to subscribe: there are more tournaments, the geography is expanding, the UFC is interested in new fighters. And there is no clear criterion with which you will definitely be taken. The advantages are a record without defeats, spectacular victories, the ability to somehow stand out. There are many fighters, and other things being equal, they will choose the one who is media, who speaks English, who has no problems with obtaining a visa. Plus, a very relevant moment for the Russian market is doping tests. Russian organizations do not have them, and accordingly, not all fighters can enter the UFC on a short notice in order to immediately pass clean tests.
The statistics of 20-0 does not guarantee anything, and, conversely, there are examples when people were signed without a record in MMA: they gave a contract to Bilyal Makhov (world champion in wrestling; he also fought in the UFC without experience in MMA professional boxer James Toney. - "Match TV"), so if you are very popular or you have merit in some other sports, you can sign a contract without any experience in MMA. Some fighters were signed both with negative statistics and with unclosed defeats, there are fewer chances in such cases, but there were examples.
Give us specific examples. Arman Tsarukyan has great statistics, but he is not the most popular fighter in Russia, and among the defeated he has no known opponents, but he receives a contract. Sergey Khandozhko with a large number of defeats in last fights- Same. Alexander Shlemenko and Eduard Vartanyan - no.
Arman Tsarukyan signed up for a certain tournament - he needed an opponent for Islam Makhachev. On a short notice, there were few people who wanted to fight Islam. Armand was ready, suited stylistically and in terms of level. Sergei Khandozhko - many say "the level or not the level of the UFC." If you are signed, then you are the level of the UFC. The UFC has its own reasons, and not every fighter is signed to become a champion (according to Match TV, Sergey Khandozhko was signed with the participation of high-ranking officials from Krasnodar Territory, where the UFC tournament was previously planned. Approximate place and time were Sochi, August 2019).
Eduard Vartanyan is at UFC level as an athlete, but my guess is that if you want to sign with the UFC, it should be your priority, not multiple choices. Perhaps you need to be ready to go out on a short notice, be ready to go for a fee reduction, but that's if it's acceptable for him. Here, in general, there may be a situation where a fighter will normally exist without the UFC, and the organization will live without him.
In the case of Alexander Shlemenko, as I can judge from the outside, it was important, firstly, to close the defeats that were before, secondly, to understand whether the UFC is ready to pay as much as he receives in Russia, thirdly, the UFC seems to have nuances regarding doping tests for fighters who had some problems with athletic commissions: if there were claims against an athlete, then they can test him for six months before being allowed to compete (Alexander Shlemenko had a trial with the California State Athletic Commission after he was accused of using illegal drugs. - "Match TV").
- If I have good conditions in Russia, do I have to go for a pay cut when I get into the UFC?
The standard fee in the UFC for a rookie is $10+10k, but that doesn't mean you can't get more. For example, they are ready to see how much you received before, and they can repeat the offer that was from the previous organization.
The fact that you work with Dani Rubinstein, who has a relationship with Sean Shelby, is said to make it easier to sign through you than through your competitors.
All managers who have more than 20 fighters in the UFC, and there are few of them, have direct contacts and built relationships with matchmakers. This is a matter of relationships, and there is no favoritism, it is a reputation that is earned over the years, which is guided by. For matchmaker it is important that if he turns to you, you will be ready to help.
- How many people write to you asking someone to look, someone to help?
In direct, requests for correspondence stopped at +99 and are still standing, although I often look through and try to answer, suddenly out of a thousand messages I come across some particularly valuable one. But I have so many fighters that I have to focus on those who are currently working with me and take care of their careers. There are already relationships with those with whom I work, there is trust in each other, so it is very difficult to imagine that I would start working with someone completely unfamiliar - only if one of my friends or acquaintances recommends me a specific person .
Alexander Skaredin - why fighters refuse to wait for the UFC
https://www.instagram.com/p/Be7xhQ6Aj--/Story: signed Roman Kopylov in the UFC, negotiated the signing of Nikolai Aleksakhin for a long time, but in the end Aleksakhin, continuing to work with Skaredin, signed a contract with the PFL.
UFC signing is primarily done by matchmakers: Mick Maynard is in charge of the middle to heavyweight, flyweight and women's divisions; Sean Shelby is a bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight and welterweight. Every matchmaker in any good organization is a very busy and in-demand person. And you must understand how you can impress him, because their windows to perceive some information are very small. I believe that in the UFC they look at the records of fighters and, maybe, at the highlights. If you have a 60-second video where you effectively knock out your opponents, this is also a plus. But in any case, the assessment of matchmakers remains subjective, and the issue of personal relationships is quite important. For example, I have direct contact with Mick Maynard, there is good communication, he can directly say who he would like to see and what data a fighter should have, what chances this or that person has to sign a contract. Sean Shelby is considered a slightly more deserving person: he has been working in the UFC for a long time, he signed Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, and it is much harder to sign through him. American managers Danny Rubinstein and Jason House have good contact with him, and their fighters get into the UFC more easily.
- But you failed to sign Aleksakhin and he left for the PFL.
When we were trying to get a contract for Nikolai Aleksakhin, we talked with Shelby for quite some time. At first he said “keep winning”, then he looked for some options, then we just waited, and at some point he told us in plain text: “I have a feel for who to sign. I signed Ronda when they didn't know anything about her. Signed Conor when he had stronger competitors ... ". We realized that you can wait a very long time, and we knew that there are examples when fighters wait a year or a year and a half until they are offered to fight at least in some tournament, and decided to see what other options there are on the market. As a result, two organizations made an offer to us, one of them sent a very good contract from a financial point of view, and we signed it (at the moment Nikolai Aleksakhin is a PFL fighter. - "Match TV").
If Nikolai Aleksakhin gave brighter interviews, put on good costumes and would have 500 thousand subscribers?
My opinion is that, in general, matchmakers globally do not care about the level of opposition, media coverage, and the number of followers on Instagram. I can say for sure that they are looking at some of the fastest things to understand: the record and the methods of winning. About attempts to call one of the current UFC fighters, to make some appeals, I have a direct verbatim quote from one of the matchmakers: “It doesn’t mean anything.” The UFC does not have a goal for everyone to be media, rather they just give a platform, and natural selection is already beginning on it, and everyone can decide how it will be better for him: to become media, to offend someone, to fight spectacularly.
Once upon a time, the signing of a contract by three fighters from Russia seemed like a big step forward. Now about 35 Russians have contracts - is this the ceiling?
It must be understood that Russian market for the UFC, this is not yet the top priority area of interest. Although I would imagine that there will be a significant addition to the 35 fighters that are currently signed, since we are objectively the third after the USA and Brazil in terms of the number of professional MMA fighters. But it is interesting that if, for example, the UFC plans to enter India, Indian fighters will also enter the UFC, although we understand that there is no level of Indians in MMA yet. That is, it was previously believed that the UFC is really absolutely best league in the world and only the best athletes get there, and now it is obvious to everyone that this is not entirely true. I would say that about a quarter of the UFC fighters are really top, and the rest is the same level as in other promotions. There is an example of a Russian fighter who turned the turntables on not the most understandable opponents, went undefeated, and they took him. He lost in the first fight. More important point that quite a lot of Russians have signed up for lightweight (up to 70.3 kg), and no one has yet been fired, so it will be very difficult to get into this category, and partly because of this, both Edurad Vartanyan and Alexander Shabliy are still standing in place. It turns out that 70 kg is a very clogged weight, followed by 77.1 and 65.8 kg. It's very hard to sign up.
Ivan Bannikov - how Alexander Volkov got into the UFC
https://www.instagram.com/p/BS9MjqLhH8L/Story: Volkov had two defeats in Bellator, after that he closed them with fights in M-1, signed a contract with the UFC, received the main fights in tournaments three times, is in the top 6 heavyweight and performed at the very big tournament UFC in Las Vegas.
Alexander retired from Bellator after losing two split decisions. After that, he had two fights in M-1, where he took the belt, defended it and won ahead of schedule in each case. On top of that, the UFC had a heavyweight hunger, so we signed without any problems.
- When and how did you start communicating with people from the UFC?
In February 2016, Alexander became the M-1 champion, he was preparing to defend the belt, and at about that moment we talked to people from the UFC. In America we have a good relationship with the Black House club, our friend agent Ed Soares works there. He helped us set up a face-to-face meeting with the matchmakers and after that we had a good business relationship. Now we can communicate both with matchmakers: Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard, and for some global issues, you can contact Dana White.
- At the same time, many people have a question why Edurad Vartanyan, who cooperates with you, cannot get into the UFC?
Nothing prevents Eduard from signing, except for certain bureaucratic processes associated with both the UFC and the league where he plays. I hope we will see Eduard in the UFC in the near future, this is a matter of a couple of months. There are also a few more fighters in Arrow who may be there in the near future, we just plan to make sure that they come to the UFC to win, not lose.
Kirill Timofeev - how to get a lot of money under a new contract
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ4MrhkFRe_/Story: Nikita Krylov was signed to the UFC back in 2013, after that he changed the weight category, began to represent Russia in the promotion, not Ukraine, left the UFC, spent four fights in other organizations and, upon returning, signed a contract under which he received 80 thousand dollars for going to battle and the same amount for the victory.
From the moment Nikita left the UFC, we already knew that he would return there. At the same time, I became his manager and at first I just asked my friends how it would be possible to contact one of the matchmakers. While they told me "I'll ask the guy who knows exactly who to ask," we decided how Nikita's career outside the UFC should be built. We assumed that he would fight 3-4 fights, determined the dates and started performing in Fight Nights.
And then Kamil Gadzhiev gave me some pretty valuable advice, he suggested just emailing Mick Maynard and discussing Nikitin's contract with him directly.
I found a contact, wrote, and he answered. We started discussing the contract. The fact that Nikita had already fought in the UFC had an impact, plus at the level of rumors, we were told that the UFC seemed to be interested in him too. Wrote a letter - they answered me quite quickly. A discussion of the conditions began: we bargained for money and initially asked for a little more than we were eventually offered. These conditions did not suit the promotion, we were asked to move slightly, we made some concessions and eventually agreed. The most interesting thing is that we almost only corresponded by mail and in the end they just sent us a contract, we signed it and sent it.
Good day, dear editors of BroDude magazine! I have been reading you regularly throughout the year and sincerely admire your advice and articles: everything is clear, to the point and for men. Thank you, I wish you further prosperity and development.
I'll tell you a little about myself. I am 21 years old, finished my 3rd year at the university, now I work as an electrician at a factory as part of my industrial practice in a village that is far from the city where I live.
And although I have a girlfriend, I feel that I am terribly insecure and insecure. Sometimes even the local teenagers lack the courage to put them in their place in the event of a verbal skirmish. That is, I decided first of all to overcome the fear of getting punched in the face. After reading one of your articles on MMA, and also on the advice of my grandfather (he is a very trained and intelligent man at 69), I decided to start mixed martial arts in September. However, there are difficulties with this. My height is 198 centimeters and my weight is only 76 kilograms. I also have bronchial asthma, but since he used to do ballroom dancing, the lungs are more adapted to cardio training than those of an ordinary asthmatic. Accordingly, my weak points are my knees and spine. Since there will be a lot of throws and all kinds of loads on my joints during MMA training, I would like to prepare my body for such loads as much as possible in a month and not literally “break” in the first classes. So that if not to be trained, then at least in good shape by the beginning of September. I'm currently in my fifth week of doing pull-ups and squats on one day and push-ups and sit-ups on another day. And so six days a week. Now I can pull myself up about 10-12 times with fresh strength, push up from the floor about 35-40 times, on the uneven bars from the chest - 12-14 times. Also, after analyzing the information on the Internet, I found out that training in the gym is similar to crossfit.
In this connection, a reasonable question arises: what training program should I choose to prepare for MMA, taking into account my physical characteristics and taking into account that I train without gym?
Thank you for your attention, dear editor! Best regards, Dmitry.
Answer
Hello Dmitry! Please accept our many thanks! for positive words about the journal. Keep reading us, and we, in turn, will try to keep the brand and will continue to provide you and our other readers with interesting materials. And it is especially pleasant that one of our articles, along with your grandfather, inspired you to practice martial arts. No wonder we write them. And, by the way, hi!
The courtesies are over, so let's get right to the answer to your question. We will make a reservation right away that, no matter what advice we give you here, before starting training, it is better to consult a doctor. We are incompetent to give advice in the field of medicine, and since you have certain health problems, you need to know how certain types of stress correlate with your capabilities. Moreover, our advice is of a generalized nature and is aimed at those who are able to endure basic loads.
The fighters really have a certain training program, which is designed to develop those physical indicators that are applicable in martial arts. In principle, some of them you are already doing. Pull-ups and push-ups are universal exercises and suitable for people with different sports goals, including for fighters. By the way, you wrote that you study 6 days a week, that is, almost every day. We believe that you remember that you need to alternate the muscle groups on which you give the load, especially if this load increases.
In general, you are right: power training fighters are reminiscent of crossfit classes. They are distinguished by high intensity and versatility. For a fighter, both muscle strength and endurance are equally important, and therefore he strives for a comprehensive development of the body, which will include both strength exercises as well as cardio. But we remember your main condition: you want to train at home, not in the gym. It is possible, but for effective workouts You will still need to purchase some supplies.
You said you do push-ups and pull-ups. This is good. You can also add to them (if you haven’t done it before) push-ups on the uneven bars. In general, for martial arts, especially with the presence of percussion techniques, strength exercises on the hands are very important, the implementation of which is carried out in a “jerk” way. This creates a kind of imitation of a strike and has a positive effect on both its strength and speed. That is why we recommend that you buy small dumbbells (1-2 kg) and practice shadow boxing with them. Thus, you will kill two birds with one stone, even three: firstly, you will hone the plasticity of the fight in the rack; secondly, you will increase the power potential of your strike; and thirdly, it is good for your stamina. You can do rounds of 1 minute each, working at a high pace with a break of 30 seconds, or work out for 3 minutes in one round in a fighting stance. The rhythm can be smaller, but then try to observe the technique of strikes, simulating a real fight. Rest in this case should also be at least 1 minute. And we repeat that these tips apply to people without health restrictions.
You can also purchase a rubber shock absorber with a handle. With it, you can perform hand exercises that can qualitatively improve percussion technique. This shock absorber is easy to use: just tie one end of it to a stable support and you're good to go. The main thing is that when practicing strikes with him, you observe the technique and the desired amplitude.
Another item that can really spice up your workouts is a barbell pancake. Moreover, it is not necessary to buy the bar itself. Choose the size of the pancake based on your physical data. Given your weight, we recommend that you take a projectile weighing 10-15 kg. Here are some exercises you can do with pancake:
1) Hold the pancake with outstretched arms straight in front of you at chest level. With sharp movements, press it to yourself and again push it forward to its original position. Do this without stopping for 30-40 seconds. The main thing is to try to keep the maximum pace and fully straighten your arms during the push. This exercise is very useful for developing punching power.
2) Take the pancake with both hands and move it around the head 360 degrees so that the rotation occurs due to the movement of the shoulders. This will strengthen the muscles of the arms and shoulders and will be very useful for wrestling work.
3) Press the pancake to the body, clasping it with both hands, and move around the room, all the while moving on your feet. The essence of this exercise is to constantly move, as if during a fight. In this way, you will improve footwork and endurance, which are very necessary when working in a stance.
In general, a training program for fighters can include many more exercises. We only briefly talked about some of them that can be performed not within the walls of the hall without a large number inventory. This also includes exercises for the press (again, with the use of a pancake, their effectiveness will only increase). Don't forget about cardio. Good old running and jumping rope has not been canceled.
In fact, the money for the Russian (and the world too) world of mixed martial arts is colossal. For comparison, great fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, who won 24 victories in 24 fights, received significantly less in his last fight -.
All professional fighters in Russia can be divided into three conditional categories, - the president of Fight Nights Global told Life Kamil Hajiyev. - It is clear that everyone's earnings are irregular, therefore, for the convenience of calculations, we will take their total annual income - and divide by 12.
In total, there are about 5 thousand professional fighters in Russia. There are 30 people in the elite. We, in Fight Nights, have 10. Their average monthly income, which includes fees for fights, income from sponsors, and advertising on social networks, is about a million rubles. As I said, there are very few such professionals - less than one percent.
Well, the rest are young guys who are just taking their first steps in professional sports. Often they combine martial arts with studies at universities or colleges. Fight clubs they are fully provided with training. Plus, they sometimes receive scholarships of thousands of 30-40 rubles each - this is only enough for proper nutrition. The guys are looking forward.
- And how much do fighters get for a particular fight?
Everything is very individual here. For novice fighters, the average "rate" is about a hundred thousand. Well, superstar fees can be in the millions. Rubles, of course. Well, the same Diego Brandao received 70 thousand dollars for the victory in the main fight of Fight Nights 58 in Kaspiysk over Murad Machaev.
Some journalists consider Khabib Nurmagomedov the most popular Russian athlete. Well, if we compare the level of popularity of mixed martial arts and other sports in general?
For the layman, the most appropriate would be to compare the MMA industry with the boxing industry. There really is a lot in common. The main difference is age. Mixed martial arts, precisely as a sport with clear rules, originated in America only 20 years ago. And, of course, although the popularity of MMA has grown very much, for many it still remains a mystery. There are a lot of stupid stereotypes...
- What is the most common?
The fact that MMA is fighting without rules. The world of mixed martial arts is actually very well regulated. The leader, of course, is the UFC, originally created simply as a kind of league, the purpose of which was to find out which martial arts are the coolest. Well, remember the numerous Hollywood action movies with a similar plot - when karateka, sumo wrestlers and boxers in some monastery at a closed tournament reveal the strongest. So the idea of the UFC was something like this. But gradually all this developed into a very popular sports and social phenomenon, firmly established on American TV.
The last fight of Fedor Emelianenko - with Fabio Maldonado - simply broke the ratings. About 8 million Russians watched the fight live!
Plus, we showed this fight in 26 more countries. Both our company and everyone who broadcasted earned money on this project. As a result, Fight Nights received about 20 million rubles for the implementation of these rights ... Yes, and our partners from Match TV certainly didn’t lose money - just like the UFC Fight Pass channel, which provided the show in North America. In the US, the fight was watched by 3 million people.
In general, I want to note that the role of Fedor and the MMA Union headed by him in the development of interest in martial arts in Russia is very large.
Well, the average Fight Nights event - usually interest in it is 20 percent of the numbers that I cited for the Emelianenko fight. We hold about 15 "events" a year.
- How many people in Russia are involved in martial arts?
A lot - 5.5 million people. That is about 3% of the total population of the country. Moreover, not only men, but also women are actively involved in this industry. In general, we can safely say that now MMA in Russia is truly fashionable.
How are these mods and engagement monetized?
Earnings are based on three pillars. Sale of television rights, tickets and sponsorship packages. All three of these areas are actively developing.
You have to understand: in Russia, the activities of the promotion company are carried out in two global areas - the sports itself and PR. We can say that now there is a period of investment - we need martial arts in the country to become truly recognizable. Well, plus there are some specific regions in which, due to the general level of income of the population, it is very difficult to organize a fight evening in the "plus". Take the same Fight Nights 58 recently held in Kaspiysk - we didn’t have the task of making money there at all.
- And how much did you spend?
20 million rubles. Of course, a significant part of this amount was recaptured, but in fact the event still went in the red. Actually, it was known from the beginning.
The cost of standard tickets to the Aliyev Palace of Culture was 500 rubles. Well, there were, of course, VIP seats right next to the cage for 3-5 thousand rubles - but still it was impossible to get a lot from ticket sales. Nevertheless, Dagestan remains one of our priority areas of activity. Everyone admits that in terms of the number of talented fighters, this is the leader not only in Russia, but also in the world. Martial arts are madly loved here, the 8,000-seat hall is always packed. Finally, this is my Motherland... In general, not everything can and should be measured in money. We have places to earn money, and we finished 2016 with a good profit.
- That's what you said about three directions. If as a percentage, how much does each of them bring in?
In Russia, the situation is something like this: 20% - TV rights, 20% - tickets and 60% - sponsorship packages. Over the years, this ratio, of course, will change in the direction of increasing the first two components. In America, for example, this distribution looks like this: 60% - TV rights, 20% - tickets and sponsors. That is, there the whole concept rests primarily on TV. Plus, the pay-per-view pay-per-view system is successfully operating in the United States. For one single fighting evening, the cost of a show using this system alone can reach $50 million.
The topic of how is already stuck in the teeth. And in Russia, how fast can a fighter who goes undefeated claim the championship title? How transparent and understandable is this system?
It is clear that the task of any promotional company in the first place is to earn money, and not to identify "by fairness" the coolest champion. And there is nothing surprising in the fact that the UFC is trying to "guard" McGregor and other fighters showing good ratings.
In Russia, in fact, the same story. Professional fights are not Olympic Games, where anyone can become a champion in theory. At the same time, of course, any high-quality fighter will definitely be noticed and eventually brought to the title fight.
- Well, how many fights does a guy from the "third category" need to win to fight for the Fight Nights belt?
Usually at 20 with a little there is a partial transition from amateurs to professionals, that is, for some time the guy continues to combine conditional Combat Sambo and mixed martial arts. Well, at the age of 25, he already makes the final choice - either to tie up with sports altogether, or to turn into professionals. At this point, he usually has 3-4 professional fight. Then he fights about once every 3-4 months. And by the age of 30 - that is, the peak age for practicing MMA - he has accumulated a serious history of about 20 fights.
Then - with some luck, of course - he has a chance to title fight. Another thing is that if the guy does not lose at all - of course, he will get his chance much earlier.
- In Soviet times, in many sports at 30 they were already sent to "retirement". And you say - peak.
Because in the USSR they were engaged in football or hockey since childhood. And there were many months of training camps from a young age. And in that standard story of an MMA fighter that I described, a person becomes a professional not at 17, not at 20, but at 25. And in general, at the legislative level, mixed martial arts in childhood prohibited. That is, the effect of "iron fatigue" does not affect a person for a long time.
Although, of course, there are nuggets like Nurmagomedov, who are revealed much earlier (he is now 28. - Note. Life). Well, he started early. He has a dad - so Khabib from childhood was "doomed" to a martial arts career.
From what sport, according to statistics, people most often come to MMA? And which of them are usually the most successful - wrestlers, sambists, boxers?
50% comes from wrestling - in its various variations, including classical and Greco-Roman, combat sambo, pankration, judo and jiu-jitsu. 30% - from boxing. And 20% percent remains for all other sports, including, for example, football. Yes, yes, guys come from there too. There is an opinion that MMA coaches are more willing to take on wrestlers - but in fact, today all boundaries have been erased. And out good boxer it is also quite possible to prepare a cool master of mixed martial arts. In many ways, by the way, "drummers" get their chance due to the fact that the audience loves them much more.
In the 90s, almost all members of gangster groups were engaged in karate and other martial arts. How much is the MMA industry now replenishing the criminal environment?
This is still another stereotype that is gradually blurred. Yes, 25 years ago in the country people survived as best they could. But now the situation in Russia has changed. As such, there are almost no bandit formations left - well, or, in any case, it has become ten times smaller. If in the 90s many really dreamed of becoming racketeers in their childhood, now the trends have changed, young people think first of all about a good education. And the guys who are now engaged in martial arts - they, for the most part, also try to combine training with study. Now a martial artist is not a bandit in Chinese tracksuit and not the hero of the joke "and I also eat there." This is a modern smart guy with the right life values, a role model for peers. The same Nurmagomedov is now fluent in English ...
How traumatic is mixed martial arts? When compared with the same box?
Of course, the risk of injury is always present. But there are definitely no more of them than in boxing. And much less than in football! And the cases of tragedies with a fatal outcome can be completely counted on the fingers of one hand. And each of them becomes the subject of comprehensive study and analysis.
Now in our industry there is a huge number of preventive medical measures. And the athletes themselves are used to constantly monitoring their own health.
And how relevant is the topic of doping in Russian MMA? After all, many tournaments do not even provide for a doping control system.
Sampling is now carried out by foreign laboratories, since RUSADA is currently not working. The procedure itself is standard. But you are right that its use is not properly regulated yet. In a year, the system of sanctions and punishments will be clearly defined.
In fact, now, in the age of the Internet and the instantaneous dissemination of information, the problem of doping is no longer so acute. If earlier many were confident in its omnipotence, now, especially after learning about fatal cases in the past and the year before, athletes think more about the dangers associated with its use. Everyone has already learned to work with proper diets and proper supportive pharmacology.
MMA has a chance to be included in Olympic program? And in general - is such a round of development of this sport interesting for promotional companies and the athletes themselves?
Forgive me the sports functionaries of Russia and the world, but I assess these prospects as miserable. Still, at the competitive level, not too many countries are involved in this industry yet. Well, negative stereotypes, as I said, are still enough. And very cautious people work in the Olympic movement.
This fight will be very revealing in the sense that it will show if Fedor is ready to fight again on high level. Still, the fight with Maldonado did not answer many questions. And now there is a chance to remove these questions.
- Are there any options in which Fight Nights organizes the fight of Alexander Emelianenko, who has recently been released from prison?
Sasha is a person with whom there are organizational problems! However, nothing can be ruled out. He is, of course, a very talented athlete, but his prospects are constantly broken by some social sharp corners. And now he is no longer 20 years old, to get together and spend careful preparation combat is much more difficult.
I sincerely wish both Fedor and Alexander good luck. And, of course, I really hope that Nurmagomedov will win in a fight with Tony Ferguson. If he wins, his fight with McGregor will become inevitable this year.
A lot of people, especially guys under 25, very often ask the question of how to learn to fight from scratch and become a fighter. There are a lot of articles on the Internet with headings how to become a fighter in a week and so on ...
But in fact, you don’t become a fighter in a week, but you have to work hard to get something, you need to invest in it and spend time and energy.
Usually a person goes to engage in a sports section, whether it be judo, jiu-jitsu, all this is good, but this sport sections and along with many useful skills and physical training, a person receives a bunch of sports skills that are not applicable to street fighting.
On the street, they usually beat with their hands in the head - this is the basis. First of all, for those who want to fight well, since the basis of everything is punches in the face. That's how they usually fight outside the halls.
Therefore, there is a need for protection in the first place. Along with protection, it is necessary to put a fast and swipe. A person with a knockout punch is like a person with a weapon.
You can look at the statistics - a boxer killed someone with a blow to the head ... Conclusion - boxing technique is the basis of the whole fight and any effective martial art. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is at least a year like boxing. At the same time, boxing is the first martial art when dealing with several opponents, because fast boxing movements and punches to the head are ideal for this.
Along with boxing techniques, knees and low kicks are quite applicable on the street - strikes to the thigh, knee and below, and it is dangerous to swing your legs above the waist on the street, because you can fall and be hammered by opponents.
Setting low kicks and knees is just as simple and accessible - it is everywhere. But in Thai boxing hands and movements are much worse, therefore, as described above, you need to master punches while doing boxing.
And as a special physical training wrestling is quite suitable, and mostly in the stance, because on the street you can’t compete in the stalls with 2-3 opponents. Wrestling perfectly loads all the muscles of a person and prepares well for physical confrontation. You can learn simple throws and work out 2-3 to automatism.
Basically, the trainees consolidate the skills that he receives in freestyle combat, that is, in sparring, and all sorts of "deadly schools" simply do not work because in the gym you will not gouge out your eyes or hit in the groin, therefore, sports schools much stronger than the self-defense sections with their deadly techniques. Conclusion: 1-2 years of boxing + half a year of Muay Thai and at the same time fighting at least once a week, such classes will make you a trained fighter who will be much more prepared than school representatives street fight and just street fighters.
But we are sure that in the process of studying at our martial arts school you will comprehend the philosophy of martial arts and pass psychological preparation of such a level that all conflicts can be resolved before the start of a fight with a massacre.
