As most have heard, Desert Force will be holding its first event outside of its hometown territory of Jordan in favor of the desert metropolis, Dubai. This is an even bigger step towards becoming a regional powerhouse as opposed to a local organization with a big TV contract. Dubai is just the beginning as Desert Force is keen on touring the entire region.
Since the UFC made their debut in Abu Dhabi in April of 2010, many organizations have tried to capitalize on MMA’s popularity by hosting various events in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Fujairah. Whether they were local organizations like ADFC and DFC, or outsiders like Cage Warriors, they all contributed to the rise of the sport in the UAE. Some shows were great, some were bad, but they all contributed nonetheless. Only aspect that was missing was local talent -mainly Emirati fighters.
In every international stop, the UFC scouts and acquires local talent to gain popularity with new fans. Local organizations should follow in the footsteps of the UFC and develop national talent for the future.
Some detractors argue that prepping talent for the big leagues is detrimental to the sport on the local and the regional level when in reality the end goal should be strengthening the sport, period. For a more relevant example, take a look at ONE FC. An organization that capitalized on Pride FC’s demise in Asia following the UFC acquisition to fill the void and capture the Asian market. What resulted is an organization that owns most, if not all the relevant fighters in the continent. That is a blueprint of what to do in order to succeed in this industry at this time and age.
Emirati fighters have been historically underrepresented in local organizations even though there is not a shortage of fighters. Emirati fighters are failing to emerge in the mainstream due to mismanagement and lack of guidance. A primary example is of a promising Emirati fighter, who will remain unnamed. A young man that signed an exclusive contract with a local organization yet has not competed for over two years. The truth is there are a number of skilled practitioners in MMA, boxing and Muay Thai that would try out MMA but there is little incentive to do so.
I strongly believe that in order to be successful locally a card should be split between born and bred individuals and residential nationalities to effectively encompass a wide array of fan bases.
The UAE experience should focus on the overwhelming number of resident nationalities that hail from Southeast Asia and the Middle East as well as up and coming Emirati and GCC talent. These fighters have been outshined by fighters from North America and Europe that are popular among the hardcore fan base but unknown to the newer fans that favor regional talent.
Jiu Jitsu in Abu Dhabi is a primary example of a sport that has been built from the bottom up. The federation brass has invested their time, energy, and money into propping up local stars who have turned into “local heroes” among the new fan bases. These fans have stayed loyal to the sport and followed their favorite local stars.
Desert Force is on the right path. They are rightfully stacking their cards with Arab fighters for Arab audiences. The spotlight has been earned by the competitors who need it most.
A great read. I couldnt agree more, the two things that really gave Desert Force an edge are their emphasis on local fighters and putting on a series of events. It might even just be focus and a strategic plan, I couldn’t otherwise explain why an organization such as ADFC haven’t been able to put something together for almost two years… That really doesn’t bode well for them and looking at the upcoming Desert Force fight card it also appears that they have had no luck in securing their prospects that they nurtured with Al Batal (Georges Eid and Ahmed Amir). It’s a bit mind boggling
I do think though that for the long term interest of MMA in the region there needs to be competition. It’s not healthy for any industry to be dominated by one organization. Not only does that mean that fighters have zero bargaining power (which it does appear they sometimes do) but its never historically been a good idea to put an entire industries future in the hands of two or three people. Perhaps a fighters union might be a good idea?
I would also love to see feeder/amateur leagues to act as feeders for bigger regional events.
I cannot but totally agree to you Kos in all what u said!
Thanks Karim.
I tip my hat to the team at Desert Force, they have done a phenomenal job. But I think their success is down to 1) their initiative and push and 2) the inept management at others organisations that really have not done much to promote their organisation, their fighters or even build local fighters. Desert Force has done what any one would do and has capitalized on their competitors mismanagement, chapeau!
This is no way a rant at them, they have put on the best shows, built fighters and delivered great entertainment. But long-term, there needs to be a few rivals and feeder leagues