• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MMA Payout

The Business of Combat Sports

  • Home
  • MMA
    • UFC
    • Bellator
    • One
    • PFL
  • Boxing
  • Legal
  • Ratings
  • Payouts
  • Attendance
  • Gate

Spike announces “Fighters First” initiative

April 1, 2016 by Jason Cruz 6 Comments

Spike TV announced that it is launching a new marketing campaign around the network’s sports programming.  The campaign dubbed, “Fighters First” seeks to promote the fighters as individual brands.

It can be viewed as a slight at the UFC which has shown its brand is bigger than its fighters, the campaign highlights the fighter in the spotlight.

Via Spike press release:

From shoulder programming specials that run on Spike to digital features that showcase the fighters’ lives outside the ring – Spike is dedicated to serving fight fans by focusing on letting the fighters become the stars.

Spike puts fighters first in other ways – from supporting up and coming fighters who are military veterans with our VOW initiative to our continued support of the Cleveland Clinic’s renowned study on Fighters Brain Health – Spike puts fighters first inside and outside of the ring.

Spike Sports’ “Fighters First”  launches on Friday, April 1 in the 2016 premiere PBC event.

Payout Perspective:

The obvious takeaway from this is that the initiative will distinguish itself from the UFC and serve as a promotional tool for fighters in the rival company that Bellator is much more receptive to fighters than the rules set in place by the UFC.  Certainly, this should help promote Bellator as well as PBC fighters who are relatively anonymous aside from a handful.

Filed Under: Bellator, UFC

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. E Tops says

    April 1, 2016 at 9:21 am

    Still waiting for Bellator to give props to the UFC for helping to make MMA legal in NY.

    Reply
  2. tops E says

    April 1, 2016 at 1:04 pm

    Hahahahaha good for the fighters….once spike does this people would compare it and say why are we watching dw talk all the time instead of hearing from fighters…13 years of dw and ufc is getting old and boring…same ol hype…”Let me tell you this” hahaha

    Reply
  3. d says

    April 1, 2016 at 2:38 pm

    PBC fighters are going to need some work pretty soon.

    Reply
  4. tops E says

    April 1, 2016 at 4:26 pm

    Will the ufc logo have made in china on it? Hahahaha

    Reply
  5. Wil says

    April 1, 2016 at 5:43 pm

    Excellent for the fighters…bravo for Spike and good job to both Bellator and PBC for putting the fighters out there like this. Well done indeed….good to see the fighters in the forefront over the organizations.

    Reply
  6. Joe says

    April 2, 2016 at 12:17 am

    Sounds like a great idea for a campaign

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Featured

FBI seeking no-bid contract with the UFC

Court denies Top Rank’s Motion to Dismiss in Keane case

Opetaia fires back at IBF in opposition to MTD

UFC 331 Payout Perspective

UFC 331 attendance, gate and bonuses

Scott Coker is back with Ki MMA

Archives

MMA Payout Follow

MMAPayout

Dementia characteristic no lie

Orla Joelsen @OJoelsen

What on earth is going on here?

Why is President Trump, spitting on the floor during a rally in North Carolina?

Cubs’ Finances Could Be Unsealed in Rooftop Suit Ahead of CBA Fight via @sportico

First #NBA game of the season and Detroit goes down big only to come back within 5 in the 3rd quarter

Retweet on Twitter MMA Payout Retweeted

Adam Silver looked at the unemployment rate and said fuck it start the season at 3pm

Boston-San Antonio #NBA Finals

Copyright © 2026 · MMA Payout: The Business of Combat Sports