As part of its UFC promotional tour in the Philippines, Georges St. Pierre appeared on an episode of Showtime, a popular music/variety show on Filipino television. Watching the video is…interesting.
Payout Perspective:
Although the appearance looked awkward, very awkward, GSP did a great job in trying to play along with the cast. According to Rafe Bartholomew, an American journalist, the show is on a major network in the Philippines and is very popular. “It’s kind of like an America’s Best Dance Crew type show. Pretty much everyone who goes on it has to give a sample of their dancing or singing,” said Bartholomew, who authored Pacific Rims, a book about the Filipino passion of basketball.
The world of MMA needs more ambassadors to the sport like GSP if organizations like the UFC want to expand the sport globally. On this tour, GSP had public workouts and met with boxing champ Manny Pacquiao. UFC promotional tours like this reflect the UFC strategy of expansion into Asia. GSP is the face of the UFC brand and it made sense to send him to the Philippines. When Chuck Liddell visited the Philippines in 2008, he was met by huge crowds of fans which show the immense popularity of the UFC in the country. The Philippines is an untapped source of fans and a key area of focus in expanding its brand into Asia.
great post thanks