THEFIGHT

BUSINESS

Q&A WITH BRETT ROBERTS, CEO OF BAMMA USA

BAMMA USA held its inaugural Badbeat ght in Southern California in Sept. 2010. Since then, the organization has added the Amateur League Fighting Alliance (ALFA) promotion to its business model, and the all-professional BAMMA Badbeat 7 event was held in Commerce, Calif. in October. We spoke with BAMMA USA CEO Brett Roberts to learn more about this growing organization. MMA Business: MMA ghters and fans in Southern California have many options today. What is different about BAMMA? Brett Roberts: We try to be the most active organization in Southern California, with four to six pro ghts per year and a variety of amateur ghts in between. We want to be recognized as one of the most important up-and-coming ght organizations in the nation. We are proud to put on a high-quality show with evenly matched ghts, and in an atmosphere people want to experience. We try to be bigger than the other events in Southern California. Were chasing Bellator, publicity-wise. Were dedicated to MMA, and many other shows in the area do hybrid events, with boxing or Muay Thai. Im a businessman, not just a guy coming off the mat. I saw Mixed Martial Arts going the wrong way, business-wise. One of our rst goals was to change that. We are kid friendly, and we have class in our production. Were going after the businessman and businesswoman as fans. Its not about go-go girls; we keep our Ring Girls classy. MMA: Who is your audience? Rogers: We recently analyzed our fan demographic. After 13 shows we decided to spend some money on research, and our fans are higher-income people. BAMMA is reaching more than 20 million people a year. I was surprised to learn that, and I made our research partner explain this number to me several times because I didnt believe it at rst. So now were going back to our sponsors. Look, were not the cheapest show in town for fans. But we keep marketing to the businessman and woman. I continue to say Im marketing to the men and women who pick up their clothes at the
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dry cleaner. And this works great for our sponsors, too. GoPro gambled on us back in March 2011, saying, well try it out for a year. Were a testosterone-driven organization, and that attitude crosses over to the sports more recognized with the GoPro brand surng, skateboarding, etc. We started using their products in our production, even putting a camera on a referee. When it came time to renew the sponsorship, GoPro was excited to continue. It works for them; theyre tracking click-throughs directly to purchases. We are the only MMA organization they sponsor. MMA: BAMMA uses, for one, a local car show for marketing purposes. Why did you choose that audience for marketing? Rogers: Weve been working with the MotorTrend magazine auto shows for years as a sponsor of the Orange County (Calif.) International Auto Show. Its an identical demographic to that of MMA. Its a testosterone-driven audience. As a business man and a marketing guy, when I had the opportunity to team up with MotorTrend, I said Why Not? This car show is a great marketing tool right in our neighborhood. Why not put my brand in front of this audience right in my back yard? Every year, we get more and more recognition of our brand from this show. MMA: How do you manage the relationship with ghters?

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Rogers: Im a businessman, and my handshake is as strong as my signature. Im a hands-on guy. I talk to them directly, I go see them at the gyms. Im in on negotiations. And I am personal friends with a lot of them. I know what theyre going through. I sympathize with them. But Im also straightforward with them. I help them understand they are a commodity, and they need to market this. They need to understand the business perspective of their value. MMA: What is ALFA? Rogers: The Amateur League Fighting Alliance (ALFA) is our breeding ground for professionals; we started it in 2011. The amateur ghters are the next pros, so ALFA is much like a minor league system in baseball or hockey. Christopher Schommer, for example, fought for us as an amateur, and now were moving him up, graduating him to our pro Badbeat ghts. ALFA ghts lead to Badbeat ghts, and then to UFC or Bellator. ALFA helps give amateur ghters a solid future. We grab the ghters in the amateur world, giving them op40 I

portunities to showcase their skills. And they can ght other places. But we want them to stick with us, and we put some marketing behind them and the events. MMA: Whats the three-year plan for BAMMA USA? Rogers: We denitely want to be a national-level promotion. We are growing rapidly. We have 2013 almost all planned out. Were discussing TV deals, and will be on TV real soon. We have a lot on the table. We hit our original ve-year trajectory in just 25 months. In three years, I would expect we will be in the top four MMA promotions in the nation, probably top 5 in the world. Were growing organically, too, controlling the growth. Were going to expand to a bigger facility soon. MMA: Whats special or unique about BAMMA that will help make that goal a reality? Rogers: When you come to a BAMMA ght, youll see we

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are true to the history and traditions of Mixed Martial Arts. MMA is exactly what it says it is a mix of traditional arts. We maintain respect for all the arts and the discipline that makes them unique. Were proud to showcase the respect for these arts, for ghting and for all ghters. Youre never going to see me cussing out someone. Were going to maintain the focus on these traditions, in both the ghts and in the business.

MMA WORLD EXPO FIGHTS ON

From the inaugural MMA World Expo in 2009 to the second event a year later, it was clear to see the marked change from a lifestyle-oriented consumer show to an active and participatory ght-focused event. That trend continued at last years show, when promoter Paul Paone introduced the STS Challenge ghts. For 2012, it goes to the next round with New York Citys rst-ever Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Tournament as the featured event of the fourth annual MMA World Expo, Dec. 1 and 2 at Manhattans Jacob Javits Center. Held in association with FILA, International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, this invitational event will feature ghters in several weight classes with competitors vying for international ranking within the FILA federation. The opportunity to work with an internationally renowned sports organization like FILA provides our MMA tournament with a highly organized, proven structure that ensures fair competition, excitement for fans and above-all, safety for the athletes, said Paul Paone, MMA World Expo Founder and Director. The MMA World Expo will also include product exhibits, professional MMA ghters, autograph signings and training sessions conducted by many of the regions best coaches including Jimmy Pedro, current USA Judo Olympic Team Coach; Kru Phil Nurse, Muay Thai trainer to UFC Champions Frankie Edgar, Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre; and Marcelo Garcia, BJJ legend.

But this years show will be about ghts. FILA, the international governing body for Olympic wrestling, grappling, pankration, and amateur mixed martial arts, is proud to take part in the fourth edition of the World MMA Expo and hold the rst FILA-sanctioned amateur MMA tournament ever organized in North America on that occasion, said Anne Pellaud, Head of the Sport and Communication Department of FILA. (For more on this new amateur tournament, see Wide World of MMA on page 42.) The Expo will feature other amateur tournaments, including the Renzo Gracie Open BJJ. As with last years tournament, Gracie has decided to open competition to all athletes regardless of their school afliation. The STS Challenge which encompasses striking (S), take-downs (T) and submissions (S) returns for its second annual tournament. Competitors battle in three individual rounds of Muay Thai, take-downs and no-gi Jiu-Jitsu. Paone worked to create this tournament for last years expo, because the style combines all elements of MMA in individuals

rounds to t within state laws. The MMA World Expo is also partnering with the World Series of Fighting by offering walk-on try-outs for the chance to earn a professional ght contract with the newly formed WSoF ght organization. Participants will be asked to perform various stand-up and grappling maneuvers, light sparring, and conditioning exercises. Judges will rank the top contenders who will be further evaluated to see who continues on the road to the pro contract.
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