The number of MMA practitioners in the UK are growing every year, and thus the popularity of events like UFC (Ultimate Fighting Champion) are too. However, if you look at the layout of the UK in comparison to the US, Britain does have a small disadvantage.
The popularity of MMA fighting hit USA school grounds a lot sooner than it did in the UK, as almost no combat or mixed martial arts sports are even offered across England in schools. This gives fighters a solid foundation on which to build if they have already practised it at school.
Luckily the sport has evolved and entered mainstream popularity, so the UK now has fighters that start their training in MMA directly as opposed to having to cross over from another sport. This is very helpful for young fighters, even if they do lack experience and therefore are at a natural disadvantage compared to fighters in America.
Fighters with experience in Britain would usually have been trained in Karate, Kickboxing or are boxers before making the crossover into MMA.
We need to also take population into account – the US has over a population of over 303 million people, whilst the UK has over 60 million – a vast difference.
Britain’s fighting spirit remains undiminished, producing world-class champions like Lennox Lewis and Ricky Hatton to name a few. It’s worth mentioning that the UK has participated in the UFC before and came out on top with the champion, Mike Bisping.
UFC Betting in the USA
Compared to other betting sports in the United States, it is not as popular to bet on UFC, but it’s getting there. The sportsbook in Colorado broke down their betting handle and included MMA, and found that it generates a mere 1% of the total handle, making it what is known as a fringe sport in U.S. gambling.
If we look at legal betting in 2022 on MMA in Colorado, it amounts to more than $21 million. Based on that, we can estimate that the total revenue brought in by MMA wagering across the U.S. should be around $210 million, with UFC presiding over the vast majority of the handle.
Many states in America have also recently opened up to allow legal sports betting, so it will take some time to gain traction. As recently as 2020, places like New York, Texas and California were still closed to online betting apps, but since then New York has outlined a plan for online sports wagering.
How Can It Change?
It is important to remember that the sports world was completely shut down for much of 2020, including UFC, but the sport was the first back in the U.S after lockdown that held a live event sans crowds. This gave MMA a much-needed boost in the American sports wagering market.
When it comes to the average live wagering handle in the sports market, the UFC is quite far behind. What could grow its handle in comparison to other sports would be if bettors were allowed to bet on a fight whilst it’s happening, as opposed to only being able to do it before a match. This is not far off for the U.S sports wagering industry, as it’s expected to be an area of exponential growth.
In February of 2021, Draftkings signed an exclusive, groundbreaking and historic betting partnership deal with the UFC for a whopping $350 million. They are considered to be one of the top players in the American market. This will undoubtedly boost live wagering revenue.
Soon after, the casino industry movement and the UFC teamed up. The aim is to not only encourage gambling responsibly but to also inform the public about gambling apps that are licensed and regulated.
With so many deals and plans in place, UFC looks to become one of the most lucrative sports betting markets in not only America but Great Britain as well.