Why Does It Take UFC Fighters So Long To Learn The Promotion Side Of The Business?

[Blackjack]

We have a heavyweight title fight coming up where both the champion and the challenger need a lot of help in the promotion side of their business. Miicic isn't good at doing interviews or promos, he's fairly boring and he doesn't even like promoting himself. He actually said he hates doing the promotional side of the business. Then there's the challenger Ngannou who struggles to even speak English. Even if he were to improve his English, he doesn't have charisma or the ability to get people outside of a small, hardcore niche of fans to care whether he wins or loses.

Both of these guys need managers (in the sense of having someone act as a mouthpiece for them in interviews) and it should be obvious to them. How can guys who make their living in the fight business who are in their 30s not understand this? I understand that MMA is a relatively new sport but the concept of doing promos in a way that creates an emotional connection with the audience isn't new. If people don't care whether a fighter wins or loses and the fighter doesn't have the ability to get them to start caring whether they win or lose, then that fighter just doesn't have the necessary talent to do his interviews/promos on his own in a way that will maximize his earnings. The solution is to hire a manager to act as a mouthpiece. This is a time tested concept that is proven to work but none of the fighters in The UFC have availed themselves of one yet. That's absolutely incredible. Are they to proud to admit they aren't good on the mic or are they just too ignorant to be able to understand how much their income would benefit by using a manager?

 

[Dead Kennedy]

I thought it was the UFC’s job to promote its fighters?

 

[SVG]

Thing is talking doesn't matter when you are taking the life and soul out of people...

Which is exactly what N'gannou is doing.

Motherfucker is highlight reel heaven.

 

[jagerbomber84]

I thought it was the UFC’s job to promote its fighters?

This . Not everyone was blessed with the gift of gab , GSP is a nightmare in an interview but the UFC promoted the shit out of him , granted long winning streaks help your brand and it's considerably harder to do at HW.

 

[Blackjack]

I thought it was the UFC’s job to promote its fighters?

The UFC's job is to promote its shows and to give its fighters the opportunity to do interviews, meetings with the press, etc. Once the fighter is given that opportunity to reach people through that medium The UFC provides, the fighter either has to do his own talking or get a manager to do most of it for him in the case of fighters who just are lousy at creating some type of emotional connection with the fans, the type of emotional connection that motivates a person to pay to see him fight. We've all see the incredible difference it makes in a fighter's income once he figure's out a way to get some type of emotional reaction from the audience.

 

[AC1D1K]

it is not easy with a giant learning curve.

 

[AC1D1K]

I thought it was the UFC’s job to promote its fighters?

wot. you kidding ? surprised to hear that from u

 

[Blackjack]

This . Not everyone was blessed with the gift of gab , GSP is a nightmare in an interview but the UFC promoted the shit out of him , granted long winning streaks help your brand and it's considerably harder to do at HW.

You're right, not everyone is blessed with the gift of gab. It's absolutely mazing how many fighters who clearly don't have the gift of gab and ought to know it by now, still haven't availed themselves of the services of a manager who does most of their talking for them. That does wonders for the careers of guys who don't have the gift of gab. Do you think they've failed to take advantage of this out of pride or ignorance?

 

[executionermma]

If people don't care whether a fighter wins or loses and the fighter doesn't have the ability to get them to start caring whether they win or lose, then that fighter just doesn't have the necessary talent to do his interviews/promos on his own in a way that will maximize his earnings. The solution is to hire a manager to act as a mouthpiece.

Wow this is the most stupid shit i have read here, fuck no, who is so pathetic to want to hear some imbecile goofs talking out of their asses in other people name?

Smh this is the fight game, if there some casuals who doesn't care about a great HW fight just because they won't be doing stupid trash talking, so be it, at the end of the day this is a combat sport and no FIGHTER should be really taking the promotional thing to serious, that's just a minor part of the business, look to Chase Sherman, guy has a great social media management and thousand of followers, probably more than half of the top 15 HW, but that won't get him anywhere if he can't win fights.

 

[ShreddinMMA]

Because traditionally, the promoter promotes fighters.

Marshawn Lynch made a point to avoid media and say as little as he could to them during his time with the Hawks. What did the NFL/Hawks do? Turn it around and make it into part of his character.

The UFC is shitty at promoting.

 

[wartor]

The way it works now the UFC will do more promotion if you show up to promote. That is actually what made Conor such a huge hit, he went everywhere all the time for the UFC. He wanted it. It is available to every fighter but a lot of them think it's more important to train, or diet, etc. They don't realize you need to prioritize it and go as hard on promotion as you do at the gym.

Managers are a good idea, but why would the UFC do that when only 20% of the fighters even bother to show up to the promotion opportunities now?

 

[DoopidyDawesome]

They're not fucking actors and I tend to hate the dipshit fighters who try to pretend they are. It's a joke and completely unfunny.

 

[Diet Butcher]

Yep...great idea

 

[tipofmitt]

Because they are fighters...not actors....and wwf wrestling sucks anyway.

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

I thought it was the UFC’s job to promote its fighters?

It is. And to do that job properly they need help from the individual athletes they are promoting. This is why in more established sports interaction with the media is strictly mandated. Marshawn Lynch was famously fined $100K for failing to talk to the media. It doesn't mean they have to go all WWE. But media work is part of the the job description of pro athletes.

edit:

Marshawn Lynch made a point to avoid media and say as little as he could to them during his time with the Hawks. What did the NFL/Hawks do? Turn it around and make it into part of his character.

The NFL rode Marshawn hard until he started showing up for media events.

 

[Chet Ubetcha]

Some fighters believe there's still integrity to this organization, and that their performance should be enough to speak for itself. We all know that is no longer true, however.

Tank > Tito > Chael > Conor > Cody

Sprinkle in a few others in there, and you can pretty much trace the downfall of the "sport" aspect.

 

[frye666]

We have a heavyweight title fight coming up where both the champion and the challenger need a lot of help in the promotion side of their business. Miicic isn't good at doing interviews or promos, he's fairly boring and he doesn't even like promoting himself. He actually said he hates doing the promotional side of the business. Then there's the challenger Ngannou who struggles to even speak English. Even if he were to improve his English, he doesn't have charisma or the ability to get people outside of a small, hardcore niche of fans to care whether he wins or loses.

Both of these guys need managers (in the sense of having someone act as a mouthpiece for them in interviews) and it should be obvious to them. How can guys who make their living in the fight business who are in their 30s not understand this? I understand that MMA is a relatively new sport but the concept of doing promos in a way that creates an emotional connection with the audience isn't new. If people don't care whether a fighter wins or loses and the fighter doesn't have the ability to get them to start caring whether they win or lose, then that fighter just doesn't have the necessary talent to do his interviews/promos on his own in a way that will maximize his earnings. The solution is to hire a manager to act as a mouthpiece. This is a time tested concept that is proven to work but none of the fighters in The UFC have availed themselves of one yet. That's absolutely incredible. Are they to proud to admit they aren't good on the mic or are they just too ignorant to be able to understand how much their income would benefit by using a manager?

I think you are spot on with this post. I suspect that these guys are simply not used to having extra cash, and it just doesn't seem like a feasible thing to do when they actually DO have a bit of spare income. I would even suggest that the UFC should pay the bill for said manager if they won't do it themselves. It would still end up being cash in their pocket books.

 

[Blackjack]

I think you are spot on with this post. I suspect that these guys are simply not used to having extra cash, and it just doesn't seem like a feasible thing to do when they actually DO have a bit of spare income. I would even suggest that the UFC should pay the bill for said manager if they won't do it themselves. It would still end up being cash in their pocket books.

If The UFC paid for it, you're right, it would still make money for The UFC as well as the individual fighter. If The UFC won't pay for it, hopefully at least some of these fighters who aren't used to having the extra cash will learn that you've got to spend money to make money. I know there are athletes who understand that. I don't know how many of them are UFC fighters though. It's amazing that in this information age there could be people so clueless about what they need to do to advance their own careers.

 

[Chet Ubetcha]

I think you are spot on with this post. I suspect that these guys are simply not used to having extra cash, and it just doesn't seem like a feasible thing to do when they actually DO have a bit of spare income. I would even suggest that the UFC should pay the bill for said manager if they won't do it themselves. It would still end up being cash in their pocket books.

"Let me tell you how you feel..."

 

[Substance Abuse]

They promote the brand, not the fighters.