Boosted by continued representation in major fights, Brazilian MMA fighters continued to gain ground in February, slowly attracting a larger share of fan interest in the sport. While American athletes still command over 50% of MMA interest, Brazilians have slowly but surely been gaining ground, reaching 16.5% of all fan interest in February. With Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Wanderlei Silva appearing in the main and co-main event of UFC 110 in Australia, and Demian Maia and Paulo Thiago winning on the main card of UFC 109, Brazilian fighters are increasingly among the worlds best in all weight classes. As it stands currently, Brazilians hold championship belts in three of the seven UFC/WEC weight classes: Jose Aldo at featherweight, Anderson Silva and middleweight, and Lyoto Machida and light heavyweight.
Nationality fan interest for recent months:
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
| February Share of Fan Interest |
Fighter Nationality | January to February Change |
|---|---|---|
| 57.2% | United States | down 2.2% |
| 16.2% | Brazil | up 1.5% |
| 4.1% | Japan | down 0.6% |
| 3.6% | Russia | - |
| 3.4% | United Kingdom | - |
| 2.4% | Canada | down 0.5% |
| 2.1% | Australia | up 1.5% |
| 2.1% | Netherlands | down 0.5% |
| 1.6% | Croatia | up 0.7% |
| 1.5% | Bahamas | - |
| 0.9% | Belarus | - |
| 0.8% | Armenia | - |
| 0.6% | France | - |
| 0.6% | Poland | - |
| 2.9% | Other |
