Latinos Power Growth Of Ultimate Fighting

11/28/11
MediaPost Publications Latinos Power Growth Of Ultimate Fighting Champi
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HOM E
HOLLY MCGAVOCK
Latinos Power Growth Of Ultimate Fighting Championship
Holl McGavock is senior planner at
Wing, a marketing communications
agenc focused on the intersection of
the U.S. Hispanic, Latin American and
general markets.
b Holl Mc Gavoc k, Mar 17, 2011, 8:12 AM
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In a recent interview with USA Toda , boxing promoter Bob Arum
predicted limited success for the Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC), the promotion company that hosts most mixed martial arts
(MMA) events, due to what he sees as its inability to draw in
viewers from growing demographics, including Latinos and African
Americans. In some ways, his comment could make sense. After
all, the sport boasts among their fighters people like Toni
Valtonen, a Finnish fighter with a swastika and "White Power"
tattoos across his back.
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However, the same sport that Arum claims is for "a tattooed,
hispanics, sports
skinhead white guy who enjoys watching similar-looking,
untalented individuals" is experiencing unprecedented growth,
and its increased viewership is being led by one of the very
audiences Arum thought the UFC would never be able to attract: Latinos.
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For a sport that caters primarily to the male 18-34 demographic, Latinos, who make up 20% of this
audience, represent a key portion of UFC's viewership. In fact, recent Simmons data show that
they are even more enthusiastic about the UFC than their non-Latino counterparts, with 37% of
Latino males 18-34 saying they are "very interested" in the UFC, compared to 23% of non-Latino
males in the same age group. Latino males 18-34 are also more involved fans of the sport and are
25% more likely to say they view UFC fights on pay-per-view than non-Latinos.
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The networks are certainly taking note. In February of last year, the UFC announced that it would
begin broadcasting its pay-per-view events in Spanish. This year, MTV Tr3s jumped on the
bandwagon, signing a deal to broadcast the fight promotion Bellator's fourth season starting
March 6. Bellator has several fighters of Latino heritage: Eddie Alvarez, Hector Lombard, Jose
Vega, Jessica Aguilar, Nazareno "Naza" Malegaire, Patricio "Pitbull" Freire, Wilson Reis, Lyman
Goodman, Chris Lozano, and Daniel Gracie, among others. Strikeforce, another MMA promotion
company, also boasts several Latino fighters, including Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez, otherwise
marketing professionals for Free M ediaPost
known as "El Niño."
M embership. M ember Benefits
The UFC also has a growing number of Latino fighters, including Kenny Florian, Tito Ortiz, Diego
Sanchez, and Miguel Angel Torres, and, most importantly, the current heavyweight champion,
Cain Velasquez.
MMA is one of the few sports that allows for some level of self-expression among its participants,
and fighters are taking advantage of this freedom to express their Latino identities. Velasquez,
for example, who was born in California to Mexican parents and speaks fluent Spanish and English,
is being promoted as the "first Mexican heavyweight champion" and heavily leverages his Latino
heritage in his promotion both in Hispanic and general market media outlets. Probably most
notably, Velasquez carries a huge "Brown Pride" tattoo across his chest.
This all spells out great opportunities for marketers looking to reach the growing Latino male
audience. MMA has yet to fully monetize the sport through sponsorships and fighter
spokesperson deals, but Velasquez is already taking advantage of his growing fame, appearing in
advertising for Lugz shoes. And the UFC is starting to make in-roads with sponsors, with
Budweiser, Harley Davidson, and Boost Mobile all signing on as sponsors in the past couple of
years. However, the majority of sponsorships still tend to come from smaller companies, many of
whom can sponsor a fighter for just a few thousand dollars, and many fighters still rely on these
smaller sponsors for their paycheck.
Latinos are taking MMA by storm. And it makes sense. Mexico, where many of the Latino MMA
fighters come from, has a long and storied history with both freestyle wrestling (lucha libre) and
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MediaPost Publications Latinos Power Growth Of Ultimate Fighting Champi
September 2011
fighters come from, has a long and storied history with both freestyle wrestling (lucha libre) and
August 2011
boxing. Many of the same Latinos who followed boxing and wrestling in Latin America and have
July 2011
June 2011
followed boxing in the United States are now giving more of their time and attention to MMA,
especially given its availability not only on pay-per-view and premium channels, but also on regular
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cable networks like Spike, Versus, ESPN Deportes and MTV Tr3s.
So, Mr. Arum, you might want to pay attention.
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