UFC’s ultraviolent bouts gain fans, acceptance

PHILADELPHIA | It is after midnight in the steamy Wachovia Center, and a youthful, raucous crowd of more than 17,000 is on its feet.

Kenny Florian is not.

Florian lies on his back in an eight-sided cage, on the cusp of unconsciousness. Amid a tangled web of limbs, he struggles to break free from the grasp of B.J. Penn, a sturdy Hawaiian whose python right arm is wrapped around Florian’s neck.

Within seconds, Florian’s world goes black. He doesn’t hear the crescendo of spectators, now in a frenzy. A second later, the referee steps in. The fight is over.

This is the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the most dominant player in mixed martial arts and one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.

Once an underground operation in a sport considered too wild and violent to count as legitimate athletics, UFC now not only is moving into the mainstream but is one of the sports world’s hottest properties.

A sport that had been shunned by parents, banned by states and rejected by broadcast networks and cable operators for its brutality now sets pay-per-view records and is televised live in dozens of countries.

In July, UFC held its first-ever fan expo, drawing 30,000 to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Last Saturday’s event in Philadelphia — dubbed “UFC 101” because it was the 101st event of its kind — earned a live gate of $3.5 million, the largest ever for a fight in Pennsylvania.

Even in a tough economy, UFC now is so powerful a draw that fans forked over $50 to watch the bouts at Wachovia from the worst seats in the house, with many lower bowl seats selling for $600.

UFC this year is expected to earn more than $300 million just from the hundreds of thousands of fans tuning into events on pay per view nearly every month. Forbes magazine last year valued UFC at more than $1 billion — more than 500 times what it sold for a decade ago.

Fighters like Penn and Florian are nearly as recognizable as athletes from traditional major sports. UFC President Dana White is nearly as powerful and recognizable as other major sports commissioners. And UFC has spawned a cottage industry of apparel and equipment manufacturers and driven an explosion of mixed martial arts training gyms across the country.

Gradual acceptance

While Penn and Florian grappled in the octagon, signs of UFC’s mainstream acceptance showed everywhere.

A large Bud Light logo emblazoned the canvas and one of the octagon’s corners. A Harley-Davidson logo hung above. Advertisements for energy drinks, supplements and clothing manufacturers adorned the fighters’ shorts and signage throughout the arena.

For advertisers, UFC has been a gold mine of access to a desirable demographic of young men drawn to the wide-open action and short, three-round fights that take less time than most other sporting events.

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