The Stag Party: The Current State of MMA in Asia

Mountaineer: Who would’ve thought that the UFC would be on Fox a few years ago? Now, look at this! Global domination? Perhaps. MMA has been a dying thing in Japan, but the UFC seems to be putting on a pretty good appetizer of things to come in Japan. Granted, I would’ve booked more PRIDE veterans, but in terms of putting on competitive matchups with a good enough marketability angle, this looks like a very good card, no matter what side of the Pacific you are on.

Midge: At first their announcement that this card would be a feeder into a PPV in America, and that the event would start in the morning in Japan worried me. Japan is a hostile environment for foreign companies. This is a place where XBox 360s were taken off the shelves because they didn’t sell, and Google can’t get people to use their search engine. To walk into the Japanese market half-heartedly would be stupid at best.

Mountaineer: Something that still worries me is the main event. Hardcores are chomping at the bit to see Edgar versus Bendo. It is an absolute barnburner and could take FOTY. Frankie Edgar has a thing about setting those kind of precedents early in the year. What Frankie Edgar also has a habit of doing is not selling pay-per-views. He also fights in a division where casuals kind of turn their heads and act like they are watching a Nik Lentz-Andre Winner trilogy. Hardcores get it, casuals don’t. And Ben Henderson is relegated to a Facebook prelim in his last fight. Will Zuffa be able to sell with the rest of their card or is their brand name sufficient enough in Japan to make people watch? Let us hope it is the former.

Midge: I do like how Zuffa has included Japanese fighters in seven of the twelve fights, although that’s a no brainer. Pride stars like Rampage and Mark Hunt on the main card will certainly draw some eyes. It’s a tough balance between bringing in the Japanese market in order to expand for the future, and worrying about the immediate bottom line (PPV buys in the West). Edgar vs. Henderson and Pettis vs. Lauzon are definitely not there to bring in the Japanese crowd. I personally am dying to see these matches, but they certainly wouldn’t bring in the eyes of the natives like Shogun vs. Henderson would have. I think putting a Japanese champion like Hatsu Hioki on the undercard may be seen as disrespectful as well. But really, the most alarming aspect of this show is that it will occur in the morning in Tokyo. Starting a show at 10:00am is not a good idea. Especially in a country that is going to take offense to it.

Mountaineer: These are very good observations. Also, a couple other weird little things I just picked up on. It looks like the entire undercard is geared towards the hardcore MMA fan here in America and the Japanese. When you move up to the main card, you start seeing more American fighters, albeit you have Sexyama and PRIDE stars in Rampage and Mark Hunt. Another question you would want to wonder is if the theatrics of the show will be enough to draw some fans that are flip-flopping to go. When I think JMMA, I think Sakuraba walking out in a Super Mario outfit or a luchador mask. I think pyrotechnics out the wazoo. Sure, these things are secondary, but you want to make a big presence in this market. Finally, Saitama is a HUGE place. The UFC will want to pack the place. Do you think they have the ability to draw a sellout, or will they end up putting up tarp over half the seats like a Jacksonville Jaguar game?


Midge: Oh they are definitely going to have to Jag it up. This card will be amazing, and the hardcore fans in Japan will attend. But Saitama Super Arena easily holds 40,000 people. Pride has crammed over 70,000 people in that thing! Even if loosely put together, the stadium will have 30,000+ seats available. UFC 139 at the HP Pavillion in San Jose has a 17,000 seat capacity.

Mountaineer: Packing 55,724 rabid Canadians into the Rogers Centre in Toronto is one thing. Trying to fill close to that with a Japanese crowd that has seemingly become apathetic towards the sport since the controversy brought about by the collapse of PRIDE will be a different story. Perhaps DREAM’s New Year’s Eve card will give us a sign of where MMA stands in the country.

Midge: This is true. Once upon a time, Pride events would garner a majority viewership on broadcast television. Now, DREAM is having trouble just keeping it’s product on Japanese television period. The people aren’t watching like they used to. However, those same people are still consumers in Japan, and Zuffa could tap into a huge market if they could reawaken that Bushido cultural interest. But holding your return show at 10:00am is definitely not how you do it. That’s how you offend a prideful people.

Mountaineer: Not to mention the toll taken on the economy by the earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster. Granted, ticket prices range from $1,287 (100,000 in Japanese Yen) to a relatively cheap $74 (5,800 Yen). After the disaster they had at UFC 102, it is good to see they learned a bit of a lesson and dropped their prices when breaking into a new market with a poor economy.

Midge: I think the real thing that is going to stop the UFC from true growth and success in Japan is their lack of understanding of the culture. Latin and European consumers love them some Westernized junk. You can throw them the same product you sold in America and do great. The Japanese don’t play with this. If you don’t tailor your product to their liking, they won’t buy it. Coming in with a product that looks the same as it’s English counterpart is a huge obstacle. Companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft have struggled to pull this off. I don’t have any reason to think that Zuffa will be any different. The UFC has the ability to break this market, they just need to go about it differently than the markets they have already broken into.

Mountaineer: With all this analysis, the Japanese MMA scene looks to be in such a bleak place. Hopefully the UFC can do something about this. Also, we do have another card to look forward to in Japan. Antonio Inoki is coordinating an event with Dream on New Year’s Eve. It looks to be a fun little event, with your Bantamweight Grand Prix finals and rumored bouts with Fedor, Tim Sylvia, Brett Rogers, and a slew of others. Combined with some K-1 and puroresu (Japanese pro wrestling, for all of you people with social lives) provided by IGF, this is a surefire card to get some Japanese fans excited. Needless to say, great month ahead of us and 2012 looks to be even better. Any final thoughts?

Midge: So kind to give me the last words. I like words. And lasts. Sure, the Japanese MMA scene isn’t what it used to be, but the glory days weren’t that long ago. The core audience is still around, they just haven’t been tapped into successfully since the Pride scandles. With Zuffa pounding into the market and DREAM connecting with the ONE FC network, 2012 has the potential to be a huge year of resurgence for the sport in Japan. Either way, we are in the midst of huge growth across Asia in general. Mixed Martial Arts has been growing world wide for some time, but 2012 seems to be the year it EXPLODES. I’m giddy like a school girl.

That’s our Y-Chromosone laced opinion, take it or leave it. Feel free to let us know how you feel in the comments, and make sure to join the Stag Party right here next week as we discuss stuff and such!