Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), which is gaining popularity on Pay-Per-View and Spike TV, is now taking another step to attract new fans.
One promoter and producer of international combat sports events, SUN Sports & Entertainment (SSPE), recently developed what it calls its marquee fight division -; UNDERGROUND Cage Fighting. SUN decided to offer MMA in a live, -; and cost-effective -e setting to its fans as a way to generate income between highly-publicized fights.
“Our UNDERGROUND brand is completely different than our ‘Art of War’ series, which is created for large arenas and worldwide audiences,”J. Buckeye Epstein, President of SUN. “We feel there is a huge market opportunity in the small, 1,000-1,500-seat venues that will let us bring a professional show to those facilities.”
The UNDERGROUND program is designed for arenas, casinos and other regional markets that are interested in showing the sport. “Art of War”MMA’s diverse fighting techniques remain intact, including hand-to-hand, grappling, striking with feet and hands, as well as striking with your feet. All competition is held within a steel 24-foot tall cage.
Underground Cage Fighting is similar to other sports’ minor leagues. It gives unknown fighters the chance to compete against top-names on a national televised stage. “Art of War” athletes like Jeff “The Snowman”Monsoons & Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo.
“This program will allow a new generation of young fighters to build a track record and get exposure before they are considered to be associated with the Men’s National MMA team,” Epstein said.
The company presented its first multicity tour during a series events in Texas. They hope to soon produce as many as one week of national events.
SUN Sports has a list of underground cage fight matches. www.undergroundcagefighting.com.
