UFC fighting for popularity among Latino fans
Mixed martial arts fighting for popularity among Latino fans The presence of Cain Velasquez, a rising heavyweight of Mexican descent,…
Mixed martial arts fighting for popularity among Latino fans
The presence of Cain Velasquez, a rising heavyweight of Mexican descent, on Saturday’s UFC 104 card at Staples Center advances promoters’ attempts to broaden the sport’s appeal south of the border.
Young, white males in this country have flocked to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in an astounding wave, but the men directing mixed martial arts are seeking to expand their sport beyond just one demographic market and beyond just this country.
“It’s not where we want it to be, but it’s growing,” said Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC’s owner.
On Saturday, fans are expected to pack Staples Center for UFC 104. That fight card includes a rising heavyweight of Mexican descent. It’s part of Fertitta’s plan to “gain traction” in the Latino market. UFC fights are televised on a Spanish-language network already, hyped on Eddie “Piolin” Soleto’s popular radio show and with a new tequila company sponsor.
However, the challenge for UFC is that boxing remains the resounding king of combat sports among Latinos. Juan Manuel Marquez’s fight last month with Floyd Mayweather Jr. surpassed 1 million pay-per-view buys. And Oscar De La Hoya’s popularity among Latinos helped him become boxing’s all-time PPV king.
Some pugilism fans in their 40s, like Ontario’s Tony Rodriguez, don’t expect to convert to mixed martial arts. “It’s just too violent,” Rodriguez said. “I see that guy getting his head beat in on the ground, and I feel bad for him. I don’t want to watch it.”
Veteran boxing promoter Bob Arum says, “Hispanics appreciate boxing because there’s a skill set to it. There’s very little skill involved in an MMA fight — hitting guys when they’re down? Rolling around on the ground? It’s not skillful and it’s not appreciated by most Hispanics.”
Yet, boxing/MMA trainer Juanito Ibarra of Orange County said he’s made four trips south of the border to boxing shows this year and saw increased interest among younger Latinos in MMA. “They love it,” he said.
Ibarra notes that UFC already has some talented fighters with Mexican roots, including lightweight Roger Huerta and heavyweight Cain Velasquez, who fights Saturday in Los Angeles.
All along, Fertitta and UFC President Dana White have touted the global attraction of MMA. Fertitta said that UFC fighting “requires no interpreter,” and UFC has staged events in England, Ireland and Germany.
Another boxing promoter, Richard Schaefer, said, “I’d be worried about their ability to expand into the demographic beyond what it is. They haven’t done it yet, and that’s why we outsell them in our major events by 4-to-1, because boxing is so strong in the ethnic and Hispanic markets.”
White counters that ratings for this year’s “The Ultimate Fighter” reality MMA fighting series on Spike TV are strong, particularly among males 18-24, and that the percentage of minority viewers has surged from 7% last season to 18% this year.
“It just takes time,” White said. “I’m telling you, these young Hispanic kids are getting into MMA. We’re seeing it, and hearing from them: Why only learn one skill, like in boxing, when you can learn everything?”
Velasquez, 27, from Salinas, Calif., was a Pacific 10 Conference champion wrestler at Arizona State. He is now 6-0 with five knockouts in his professional MMA career.
“The people my age are the most enthusiastic about [mixed martial arts],” Velasquez said. “Growing up, when I first saw it, I thought it was a phase, but as I started wrestling I always thought the one aspect that was missing was hitting somebody. That’s MMA — the whole mix of the best combat sports mixed into one.”
If Velasquez defeats Ben Rothwell on Saturday, he’ll be poised for a shot at the winner of next month’s Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin heavyweight title fight.
White was asked if Velasquez’s title ascension would generate more Latino fans. “Mexicans come to follow Mexicans, and the thing that makes Cain so interesting is that he’s a heavyweight. There’s never been a Mexican heavyweight champion, but this guy has the power to be one,” White said.