The UFC has blown up over the course of the last decade, and it’s now one of the most-viewed competitions on the planet. Recent events have garnered more than two million pay-per-views, compared to figures around 70,000 at the turn of the century.
Despite this global phenomenon, UFC hasn’t quite cracked Spain yet. This could be set to change soon, though, as there are more events planned in the country, along with rising stars who could become local heroes.
Spain Needs to Cultivate Some Local Heroes
One of the best ways to push any sport is to nurture local talent that people can get behind. Some of Spain’s best heroes have done wonders for their respective sports over the years. For example, can you imagine the number of people who have taken up a tennis racquet in the last decade because of Rafael Nadal? There’s also Pau Gasol, who’s done a lot to push basketball in Spain since he moved to the NBA in 2001.
If the same thing happens with the UFC, there’s a strong chance that the competition could boom across the country in the years ahead. Ilia Topuria is leading the way in this regard. The 27-year-old Georgian and Spanish MMA star is currently the UFC Featherweight Champion, and ranked number four in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Topuria is currently undefeated after 15 MMA bouts, so he could generate a lot of hype in the next few years as other contenders try to take him down. Hopefully, he will inspire other Spanish youths to get into the sport, meaning that there will be other stars from the country in the future.
Leveraging the Entertainment Industry
The entertainment industry is often an excellent way to promote sports, and there are already some offerings that have made the UFC more accessible. For instance, there’s the UFC Gold Blitz Extreme slot game, which features some of the stars from the competition. The game can be found among other branded slots, such as the Wheel of Fortune Megaways casino game. All these titles use the popularity of iGaming to reach a wider audience.
It would also be helpful if there were more documentaries on Spanish television about the UFC. These would give people a chance to learn more about the sport and develop an interest in it. Sports documentaries have been hugely popular over the last few years, with the All or Nothing series on Amazon up there with the best options. Topuria: Matador has helped give people a chance to get to know the UFC star more, and hopefully it will lead to other films like it.
For the UFC to take off in Spain like it has done in other countries, there should be more events held here. There had previously been rumors that an event would be held in the country in 2024, but it’s now looking more likely that this will happen in 2025. After this, there’s a chance that the competition’s popularity could skyrocket, leading to more events in Spain in the coming years.
