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Dana White has revealed why he believes MMA has the potential to become the biggest sport in the world. White suggested that fighting appeals to everyone, irrespective of which part of the world they come from.
Dana White, the UFC president, has often emphasized this hypothesis, noting that fighting appeals to the basic instincts of human beings. White has also time and again said that “fighting is in our DNA.”
In an interview with BroBible’s Arthur Kade, Dana White opened up on several topics. Kade notably asked White about whether he’d visualized the sport of MMA and the UFC organization being as big as they are today. White responded to this by stating:
“Well, if you look at interviews of me, you know, 15 years ago, I say that this is going to be the biggest sport in the world. And I believe that this thing would work everywhere. When you think about the NFL, right? The NFL is massive in the United States. There’s nothing bigger. And then you think about these other places. Soccer is big in other countries. Cricket is big in some places, rugby, none of that; NFL doesn’t work over there, and those sports don’t work over here."
"The one thing that works everywhere is fighting, you know. And if you think about the most famous athletes that have ever walked the face of the earth – Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson – Those guys are known everywhere. Bruce Lee died in the early ‘70s. Kids still know who he is today. Because as human beings, we are fascinated by who the toughest guy in the world is.” (*Video courtesy: BroBible; H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Dana White compared the popularity of sports like American football, soccer, and cricket to combat sports. The UFC honcho explained how these sports are popular in certain regions, whereas fighting has universal appeal and could subsequently be the biggest sport in the world.
Watch the interview below:
Dana White and the UFC earned widespread praise for leading by example during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic
Dana White and the UFC brass were praised by many - not only in the combat sports world but society as a whole - for their work during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UFC was the first major global sports organization to resume organizing sports events after the pandemic started wreaking havoc worldwide. Under Dana White’s leadership, the UFC put forth events without fans in attendance before eventually managing to organize a few events with a full-capacity crowd as well.
Presently, the consensus in the combat sports community is that the next major step in the ggrowth of the UFC is its expansion in relatively untapped markets like Africa, China, and India.
Do you see MMA becoming the biggest sport in the world in the years to come? Sound off in the comments!
