Fedor Aiding MMA in Russia
December 7, 2009
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer discusses the impact that Fedor’s last nationally televised fight has had on MMA in Russia:
One thing that is legitimate, at least based on a television news report in Russia, is that after the fight aired on television (it was the first MMA fight in history to be broadcast on a major TV station in Russia), that there was a huge increase over the past few weeks in Russian teenagers wanting to join MMA gyms and Emelianenko was seen as the reason why.
Up until that time, the average Russian had no idea who he was. For the few who did, he was the guy who fought on a show Vladimir Putin attended several years ago (the Matt Lindland fight), if that. This event was the first time he got any significant media exposure because a few million people saw him fight on television. One of his fights was on PPV in Russia, but nobody bought it and his subsequent fights didn’t air.
While people will have you think he’s some sort of household name in Russia, Japan and South Korea, based on Google trends, the place he’s most famous by far is Croatia, and that’s largely because he’s the famous rival of Mirko Cro Cop, who is a legitimate national hero in his country. After that, the countries he’s most popular, in order, are Finland (MMA is on television every night there on a sports channel and his fights with Andrei Arlovski and Rogers were on TV there), Peru, Canada, U.S., Sweden and then Russia, followed by Brazil. He can draw in Japan among hardcores but among the casual people in Japan, they wouldn’t know who he is. Even in Finland, his name recognition would be less than Brock Lesnar (although significantly more than any other UFC fighter).
Payout Perspective:
It really is surprising to hear that Fedor hasn’t achieved a greater notoriety in the last several years, but it is encouraging that M-1 has secured a national television deal. The dividends of which are clearly showing in gym attendance figures (which is also something of a good trend in the United States over the last few years).
Any time you can build at the grassroots level of a sport, you’re helping to build life long interest. Fans that understand the sport are more likely to appreciate the ability and skill of those at the professional level, the theory goes, and that should translate into a larger audience.
And Russia could prove to be a solid MMA market in the years to come should Fedor continue to develop a name and increase the sport’s notoriety. The approximately 65 million television households – and 140 million people – is very material.
First UFC Gym Opens Doors in Concord, CA
December 4, 2009
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Take one step inside the brand-new, 38,000-square-foot UFC® GYM™ in Concord, Calif. and you’ll quickly learn that this is no ordinary fitness facility. As music pumps through the gym, an enthusiastic teenager swings heavy ropes, visions of Randy Couture dancing in his head. In another corner of the sprawling exercise center, a forty-something businessman channels his inner-Machida during karate class. And inside the UFC Gym’s renowned Octagon™, a mother of three fresh off the treadmill eagerly kicks Thai pads held by a dedicated instructor.
This is a normal day inside the state-of-the-art UFC Gym, which opened its doors to much fanfare last month in Concord. The gym, the first of many planned by the Ultimate Fighting Championship® in alliance with New Evolution Fitness Company (NEFC), is revolutionizing the exercise world by combining mixed martial arts and fitness.
With cutting-edge training techniques including MMA programming such as Muay Thai kickboxing, jiu jitsu, and self-defense classes, as well as one-of-a-kind offerings such as UFC Kid’s Gym Fitness, Octagon Training Disciplines, and High-Octane Conditioning, UFC gyms are allowing fitness seekers to train like their favorite UFC stars. In turn, UFC Gyms are motivating consumers and encouraging them to tackle fitness in a whole new way.
“UFC Gyms will raise the bar of what’s expected from a fitness center,” UFC President Dana White said. “We shook up the sports industry with the UFC and we plan to do the same to the fitness industry with UFC Gyms. Our gyms are more than just treadmills and free weights. We want people to step foot inside a UFC Gym and be a part of an awesome experience.”
“We share a passion to make UFC Gyms one of the most successful brands in the fitness industry,” NEFC founder Mark Mastrov, who oversees UFC Gyms with NEFC CEO/co-founder Jim Rowley, said. “With our innovative approach to fitness, we plan to create an atmosphere in which our members see immediate results. What’s more, they can do so in a facility that is second-to-none.”
That experience is already underway in Concord. With plans for an official grand opening of the first UFC Gym forthcoming, as well as designs to build UFC Gyms globally, White believes the first major brand extension of the Ultimate Fighting Championship is poised for major success worldwide. By invigorating the fitness industry with the raging success of the UFC, White is confident that UFC Gyms will build a strong following and become the ultimate fitness destination.
“The opening of the UFC Gym in Concord marks the beginning of a new era in fitness,” White said, adding that UFC Gyms featuring BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre are planned in the fighter’s native cities of Hawaii and Montreal, respectively. “We’ve teamed with NEFC owners Mark Mastrov and Jim Rowley to create a brand that will get people excited about working out again. This is going to shape up the way we all approach fitness.”
For more information on UFC Gyms, please visit UFCgyms.com. For current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com, UK.UFC.com, GERMANY.UFC.com, UFCJapan.jp or UFCEspanol.com.
About The Ultimate Fighting Championship®
UFC is the largest live pay-per-view event content provider in the world and the fastest growing main stream sports organization in history. Owned and operated by Zuffa™, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN Entertainment, BellTV, SaskTel Max™, Shaw Pay-Per-View, and Viewers Choice. International distributors include WOWOW in Japan, Rede TV and Globosat’s Combate Channel and SporTV in Brazil, ESPN in United Kingdom, Televisa in Mexico and throughout Central America, with worldwide distribution via the Internet on UFC.com and Yahoo! Sports. UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. UFC programming is distributed in 132 countries, territories and jurisdictions, reaching 430 million homes worldwide, in 20 different languages.
Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa® , The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, registered service marks, trademarks, trade dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other respective owners.
About New Evolution Fitness Company (NEFC)
Based in Northern California, New Evolution Fitness Company (NEFC) has a two decade plus record of success delivering superior returns on investment in the acquisition, development, management and operation within the fitness industry both domestically and internationally. Founded in 2008 by Mark Mastrov and Jim Rowley, the current team of NEFC professionals represents over a century of experience working in a broad sector of health, wellness and fitness.
First UFC Gym Opens in California
November 30, 2009
The San Francisco Chronicle has the details surrounding the official opening of the first UFC Gym in Concord, California.
The UFC took its most recent step to expand its brand last week with the opening of its first gym in Concord and, while the new venture has certainly appealed to UFC fans eager to train like their favorite athletes, it also seeks to accommodate kids beginning in martial arts and adults who just want to lose a couple of pounds.
“This was the natural evolution for our brand. UFC revolutionized traditional martial arts. It’s a perfect fit to us to expand into the fitness area,” said UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta.
The facility’s operators think they can make a strong case. UFC Gym reveals exactly what you would expect to find: music blaring in the background, metal dropping on metal clanging from the weight-lifting machines, and eager instructors on the floor. Even promotional banners feature everyday women breaking a sweat and kids training for martial arts in karate uniforms.
“We’re not looking to train or create fighters. We’re looking to create a fun family environment,” Fertitta said.
(Credit Bloodyelbow.com for the find)
Payout Perspective:
MMAPayout.com has been pretty vocal about the improper use of brand extensions in the past, but the UFC Gym certainly isn’t one of them. The UFC is making use of its core competency – fighting – to educate people about its sport, and promote their own brand in the process. They’re sticking to what they know and what they’re good at.
Judging by the way martial arts fitness has taken off in the past, it’s quite possible that the UFC could leverage their growing position in sports pop culture, and the fitness dimensions of an MMA lifestyle, to really grow these gyms into a prominent revenue stream and marketing tool.
FIRST UFC® GYM™TO OPEN IN CONCORD, CALIFORNIA
June 10, 2009
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – UFC and New Evolution Fitness Company (NEFC) announced today that Concord, California will be the first home to the ultimate fitness destination, one that combines a complete UFC experience with mixed martial arts and fitness.
“We are excited to open our first UFC Gym, it’s going to have something for everyone in the family, from traditional mixed martial arts classes, to all-around fitness classes, personal training and a gym just for kids,” said Dana White, UFC President. “We are going to redefine the fitness industry, and get everyone excited about fitness again, starting with the first UFC Gym in Concord, California.”
NEFC Co-founders, Mark Mastrov and Jim Rowley, both from the East Bay, believe that Concord, CA is the ideal location for the first UFC Gym. “Born, raised and now residing in the East Bay, we wanted our first UFC Gym to be close to home. This facility will allow us to carefully monitor and fine-tune the UFC Gym concept for future growth and provide our community with fitness training in new dynamic ways,” said Mark Mastrov.
An interactive tour, available through UFCgym.com, reveals concepts for the overall layout. The site also shows classes and schedules, the variety of fitness areas, and the many options for personal training and private mixed martial arts instruction. Special self-defense classes for women will be available, as well as a “UFC Kids Gym,” a place for children 14 and younger to experience fun and interactive fitness classes of their very own.
While every UFC gym will have the most sophisticated cardio equipment and more than 25-tons of free-weights, it will also have the luxury of spacious locker rooms with dry saunas, and a place to relax for snacks and drinks inside “The Arm Bar”. Plus an exclusive UFC Gym Store where you’ll find the very latest in UFC apparel and products.
The first UFC Gym enrollment center is set to open on Wed. June 17th and is located at The Willows Shopping Center, 1975 Diamond Blvd in Concord, CA 94520. For additional information, click on UFCgym.com.
Earlier this year, UFC and NEFC announced a partnership with Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre, and Lightweight Champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn to build “St-Pierre” and “Penn” UFC Gyms, with locations planned for St-Pierre’s native city of Montreal and Penn’s home state of Hawaii.
UFC Gym is the first major brand extension for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the all-time industry leader in the sport of mixed martial arts. In alliance with NEFC owners Mark Mastrov and Jim Rowley, developers of many of the world’s most successful fitness brands, UFC Gyms will give UFC enthusiasts and fitness seekers alike the opportunity to practice the training techniques of famed UFC athletes, including Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn in their respective UFC gyms.
UFC Gym is the first to combine the world of mixed martial arts and fitness to create the ultimate fitness experience. For more information, please visit UFCgym.com.
FindMMAGym.com Looks To Simplify School Search
March 9, 2009
Interesting concept……
FindMMAGym.com focuses on providing a broad directory of facilities that teach the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Made popular by the growth of professional fight leagues like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), MMA is quickly gaining fans and devotees. FindMMAGym.com strives to become the online source for anyone seeking a suitable facility that provides training and or fitness in the discipline of mixed martial arts.
FindMMAGym.com allows users to search for MMA gyms by entering a city, state, or zip code. Within the directory, users are also able to write honest reviews and rate gyms. Gym owners and users can submit gym information in order to keep a constantly up-to-date database. In addition to having a growing directory of facilities across the United States, FindMMAGym.com also features other MMA resources such as industry news, fight schedules, and multimedia including fights and instructional videos.
“This website was created for fellow MMA enthusiasts seeking to learn the sport, and at the same time, fulfill our need of fitness. Because I am a fan, I enjoy and appreciate the devotion and competitiveness of the athletes participating in the sport,” explains William Li, Co-Founder & Editor of FindMMAGym.com. “This site will not only help someone search for the right place to train, but to also be a part of the community through gym submission and direct feedback.”
FindMMAGym.com is determined to be a leading force in MMA gym search by continually expanding its content. Future projects will include expanding the directory to include international gyms and a discussion forum.
Stand Alone MMA Stores Increasing, But What Does The Future Hold?
February 2, 2009
Retail is taking a hit much like other businesses in the economy these days but a trend that is emerging in relation to MMA is the increasing number of stand alone MMA apparel/training gear stores. Up to this point in time, product in the apparel/training gear market has been distributed through one of two ways for the most part: either through online entities like a mmawarehouse.com or as an offshoot of pre-existing MMA entities like gyms. That is not to say that these stand alone stores haven’t existed until now but their numbers have started to flourish as the sport has exploded in popularity.
Online has been a popular venue because the niche status of MMA for much of it’s span has not allowed for the large numbers of customers within any given geographic location to support a brick and mortar operation. Online allowed for a wider net to be cast in offering MMA related goods, giving the MMA gear/apparel the ability to reach a critical mass and shift from viability to profitability to sustainability.
An entity like a gym being a vehicle for distribution has been ideal because it presented a dedicated audience that had a pre-existing disposition to the product. It also allowed the retail portion to serve as secondary source of revenue, not having to pay all the freight for the success or failure of apparel/gear venture.
The new angle is the spread of the stand alone brick and mortar store that provides access to gear and apparel. Stores of this type are popping up with increasing prevalence. Stores recently opened up in Yuma and Mesa, Arizona as well as places like Greensboro, NC.
It is still up in the air as to the viability and long term chances of success for these stand alone MMA stores. Has MMA grown in popularity to the degree that a stand alone store would be able to generate the foot traffic needed to make them a success? You’d like to think so, but without some entity attached to the stores as a driver of sales (like a gym) these stores will face an uphill battle to survive.
They may also see increased competition in the form of the UFC branded gyms that were recently announced by Zuffa and their partners. As these branded gyms spread out over the country, they will serve as another distribution channel for the UFC to push product through. The UFC can sell their own line of UFC branded apparel/product as well as that of those it holds business interests in like Tapout, Cage Fighter, Skeletal Metal, Xyience, etc. They would also have an audience for such things as their UFC branded gloves, and opportunities to sell things like gis, rash guards, heavy bags, shin guards, etc. Having such a location serve as a one stop shopping location for such items may mark the death knell to the viability of these stand alone entities.
Encouraging News For UFC Fighters on UFC Gyms
January 29, 2009
The AP reports that BJ Penn and Georges St Pierre will be signing with UFC Gyms. The UFC will create signature gyms branded with the fighters names that would offer the fighters royalties on the usage of their names in conjunction with the gym. The UFC are at times heavy handed in their business dealings with their fighters, but the type of structure mentioned is encouraging and looks to be expanding the revenue pie in a way that benefits both the company and the fighters. Kudos to the UFC for this:
LAS VEGAS—The Ultimate Fighting Championship has signed deals with two of its top fighters to give them signature gyms in a chain of fitness clubs planned by the mixed martial arts league.
UFC President Dana White said Thursday that the gyms will be named for B.J. Penn and Georges St-Pierre, scheduled to fight Saturday in Las Vegas for the UFC welterweight title.
White says the fighters will be paid royalties from the gyms whether they are fighting or not.
Mark Mastrov, a former 24 Hour Fitness CEO working to open the new clubs, says the fighters’ gyms will be open by the end of the year in Penn’s native Hawaii and St-Pierre’s hometown of Montreal.
UFC Gets Into The Gym Business
January 27, 2009
In what can be seen as extending out their brand (or going outside their core competence) the UFC announced today that they will be entering the health club business:
UFC Gym officials said they are close to breaking ground on the first of five health clubs planned in California, and plan to build more such gyms across the country and in Canada.
“We’re going to force all these other gyms to take it up to another level,” UFC President Dana White told The Associated Press on Monday. “Just like we have in the fight business, and everyone’s trying to compete with us now, same thing’s going to happen in the fitness industry.”
White said most gyms and health clubs haven’t changed in years, giving the mixed martial arts league an opportunity to attract new fitness customers or others wanting to get different kinds of workouts under the same roof. The gyms aren’t intended for professional or amateur fighters.
The move shouldn’t be a big surprise. The UFC have felt that various parts of the gym/training business have been reaping the benefits of the mixed martial arts explosion that the UFC claims credit for. Joe Silva spoke with Florida Todayand commented on the Zuffa mindset of others capitalizing off Zuffa’s rise to prominence:
“What’s the new hook that we can get people into the dojos with?” Silva said of an attitude that has disgusted him in the past. “Now you have Tae Kwon Do schools and they (say), ‘Yeah, we have grappling.’ ” They’re looking to appeal to the consumer, and the consumer is watching UFC on TV, on Spike TV and on pay-per-view.”
Economy Not a Problem for MMA Gyms
October 8, 2008
MMAPayout.com did a piece back in July that mentioned the strength that MMA gyms where showing in a weakening economy. What may have been written off as anecdotal anomaly may be gradually showing to be a trend as TheStreet.com details the continued growth of membership for MMA Instructor Colin Oyama’s gym during a bleak economic back drop:
Like savvy investors recognizing a booming opportunity, Karen Santaniello, 58, and husband James, 61, partnered with Brazilian jiu jitsu instructor Juliano Prado and MMA instructor Colin Oyama, both 35, to open No Limits, a 15,000-square-foot mixed martial arts gym and workout facility in 2004. By 2006, No Limits was busting at the seams and moved to a 26,000-square-foot building in Irvine, Calif., becoming the largest MMA facility in North America.
But that was when the economy was good. Now, with the country in a financial crisis, a gym membership offering Muay Thai classes and jiu jitsu instruction is probably a luxury most can’t afford, right? Wrong. No Limits has had membership growth of about 3% each month this year and currently counts over 1,500 members.
Some may be surprised to learn that their biggest growth in clientele has been kids starting as young as age 5 and women between the ages of 18 and 35.
Interesting note on the growth areas for the gym. I’ve seen the children’s market mentioned previously as a high growth sector but this is the first to detail the female sector as a driver of clientele.
Big John's Gym A Breeding Ground For The Future
August 31, 2008
The Signal has an article on Big John McCarthy’s training facility in the SoCal area. The SoCal area as presented in the article is a blueprint for success for the future
Eight men at Big John McCarthy’s Ultimate Training Academy in the Valencia Industrial Center are members of the gym’s mixed martial arts team.
According to the gym’s owner and operator, mixed martial arts personality and former referee John McCarthy, mixed martial arts teams number roughly 15 to 20 in Southern California.
Different gyms or schools put on amateur tournaments where the fighters are pitted against one another based on size and experience.
Having a wealth of gyms competing on the amateur level will be key to building up the talent level for the future. A healthy amateur scene will provide for a better finished product once these guys go up to the pro level and also allows for a greater volume of athletes to compete in MMA, casting a wider net if you will. The wider the net cast the better chance of finding diamonds in the rough who can be taken to the next level.
