MMA is synonymous with the internet. Both were born in the early 1990s and the sport has thrived online, especially during the dark days of being banned from television. As a result websites and forums enjoy a more important and fundamental role in MMA than perhaps any other sport.
MMAPayout.com’s media rankings are designed to quantify the most influential and important websites in the MMA landscape. With the mainstream media still interested in MMA only at the margins, the heavy lifting is left to these websites as they set the agenda for the sport.
Criteria
Websites were scored based on 5 criteria:
- Reach – includes alexa traffic rank and inbound links.
- Content – includes frequency of stories, staff size, and on site reporting at major events.
- Features – exclusive video, audio, and forums.
- Influence – Facebooks fans and Twitter followers.
- Quality – subjective ranking based on the site’s overall relevancy to the MMA media in terms of breaking news, providing unique coverage, and helping shape the sport’s agenda.
*Note – websites without stand alone domains such as Yahoo! and ESPN MMA sections were not considered
Beginning next week the top 20 websites in the rankings will be unveiled daily on MMAPayout.com with a brief description of each site. The websites that just missed the top 20 cut are:
Not to kiss ass because this is MMA Payout but I would have guessed this site would have been higher. At least it should be to me. I read stuff here that I see no where else and that isn’t true about a lot of sites. A lot of sites all talk about the same stuff. This site stands out as different to me by providing information I see no where else and that is why I come here.
I’m interested to see the rest of the list.
Thanks for the kind words. This site focuses on what is admittedly a niche audience. I think that focus on the business of MMA is what makes the site so compelling for so many, but it also limits our reach which is an underlying factor of the analysis behind the media rankings.
I’d also give a nod to another underperformer. FightOpinion.com is one of the more interesting and quietly influential sites in MMA IMO.
I’m actually surprised that fight opinion was ranked LOWER than this site. If I was Zack Arnold and, after all of that transcribing, STILL found myself lower in the rankings than a site exculusively occupied by MMA business nerds, I’d crawl up in a corner and cry my eyes out in frustration.
Just sayin’.
I agree, this website is way under-rated. For the past year I have constantly followed the story lines and progression mmapayout has experienced.
Kelsey and Adam, you guys are doing an awesome job. Keep up the good work!
I also appreciate the support. You guys may have noticed we’re under a bit of a transition right now: I’ve taken on a significant marketing and recruiting role with my MBA program for the year, and Jason and Jose have stepped up to take on the daily content. We’re still ironing out the rest, but expect more exciting feature content from us shortly (including a report on MMA in China and the status of the UFC’s business overall).
Thanks for reading, everyone!
Curious to see where Dave Meltzer winds up. Wonder if the brand name of “Wrestling Observer” hurts him when to comes to MMA recognition. For my money, (literally – I am a paid subscriber since 1991) no one is better at breaking news and breaking down the business.
I don’t see ProMMANow.com or AroundTheOctagon.com. Those two sites are really good and a have a big following in the southeast. ATO even ranks the amateur and pro fighters in a few states.
it really should be called the mma websites ranked 20 to 2 becasue every one who knows anything about media and MMA websites knows there is no dam way in hell Sherdog is not #1.
I would’ve just ranked HammerFisted.com, they get the same love from the UFC as Sherdog, they have funnier material and a better podcast since they fired Rios. Plus, HF is Yardbarker (Fox Sports) affiliated. Yeah, might as well went with Hammer Fisted as #1.