By Steven Kelliher on August 24, 2010
Just a few weeks after fighting Joe Soto for the Bellator Featherweight Championship, Joe Warren will take on top Dream featherweight Michihiro Omigawa on the September 25 Dream 16 card. Tapology’s Steven Kelliher learned of the match-up from Warren earlier today. Dream 16 takes place September 25 from the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan. [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged dream, featherweights
By Gregory Saks on April 26, 2010
The UFC increased its already sizable advantage in fan interest over its competitors in March, grabbing just under 65% of all MMA buzz for the month, up a couple of percentage points from its standing in February. Strikeforce came in second, its regular position these days, with about a quarter of the total interest that [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged bellator, dream, k1, strikeforce, ufc, wec
By Gregory Saks on March 24, 2010
The UFC attracted over 63% of all fan interest in the sport of MMA in February, nearly 50 percentage points higher than its next closest competitor, Strikeforce. After holding two pay per view events in the month (UFC 109, 110) as compared to only a Strikeforce Challengers card on the 26th, the UFC was easily [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged bellator, dream, k1, strikeforce, ufc, wec
By Gregory Saks on February 27, 2010
Strikeforce gained some ground in MMA fan interest in January due to the hype surrounding its January 31st Miami card and the debut of former NFL star Herschel Walker. Walker, along with fellow star Bobby Lashley, helped create a surge in casual fan interest in the event and the promotion, enough to gain over 5 [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged dream, k1, strikeforce, ufc, wec
By Gregory Saks on January 22, 2010
The Ultimate Fighting Championship enjoyed a large increase in its share of MMA fan interest in December following two high-profile early month events as well as the lead-up to its January 2nd UFC 108 event. Beginning with the “Ultimate Fighter Season 10 Finale” on December 5th featuring Kimbo Slice, and followed up with UFC 107 [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged dream, k1, ufc, wec
By Gregory Saks on December 24, 2009
The WEC and Dream promotions each enjoyed a boost in fan awareness and interest in November following their recent events in the United States and Japan. The WEC 44 event featuring Jose Aldo defeating Mike Brown for the featherweight title drew a strong buzz for the Zuffa-owned promotion, while the Dream.12 “White Cage” event in [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged dream, strikeforce, ufc, wec
By Gregory Saks on November 29, 2009
American MMA fans typically focus their attention on American fighters. October’s high profile all-Brazil UFC 104 main event, however, helped move the needle in the direction of international talent. Brazilian MMA fighters collectively represented 18.5% of all MMA fan interest in October, well ahead of the 3rd ranked category of Japanese fighters. U.S. fighters still [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged brazil, dream, england, japan, ufc
By Gregory Saks on November 1, 2009
Strikeforce’s Carano vs. Cyborg event drew major fan interest in August, but buzz for the promotion’s fighters waned quickly in September. Fueled by the acquisition of top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and a compelling bout between two of the best female competitors on the sport, Strikeforce captured 17% of MMA interest in August. Now that these [...]
Posted in Industry Analysis | Tagged buzz rankings, dream, strikeforce
By Gregory Saks on October 12, 2009
Less than a third of major promotion Mixed Martial Arts bouts went the distance in 2008. Thus far in 2009, however, the frequency of judge’s decisions has increased dramatically, from 31% to 40%. While submission rates have held steady, significantly fewer bouts have ended in knockout or technical knockout. The increase in across-the-board decisions is [...]
Posted in Editorials, Industry Analysis | Tagged dream, sengoku, strikeforce, ufc, wec