Here are five reasons why Manila may be the next hotbed ( we will tackle cheeky Singapore later)
A STABLE, DEPENDABLE PROMOTION
Recently, in Macau, there was a fiasco where fighters were not paid and left stranded in the airport.Japan has also been hurt by the alleged ties of the promoters to the yakuza. Sevreal MMA promotions , like the much ballyhooed Martial kombat in Singapore have come and gone leaving fans with "when are they going to get this right" kinda feeling.
The worst thing that could happen to fighters is for its institutions to come tumbling down. When a promotion fails, it kills a fighters motivation and momentum it leaves fighters with no stable "work space" and wreaks havoc on their finances.
Not to mention that sponsors will lose faith in the industry. In the Philippines, the opposite has been happening, there are more sponsors and more of the fighters needs are being met each year. MMA is the exciting , fresh, new kid on the block and it serves the coveted 18-36 year old demographic quite well.
As we mentioned South Korea and Japan are currently experiencing an MMA slump, Spirit and neofight are kaput. Sengoku is gone, Dream and Dare are still trying to prove itself. The Philippines URCC? well , it is one of the longest running MMA events in Asia -come November 21 2012 , the URCC will be celebrating ten years in the market, making it the longest running MMA show in Asia. Outlasting PRIDE of japan.
The Philippines may not have the fancy infrastructure, but the fighters are paid, fed and generally well taken cared of - in short they have a professional career with a stable promoter (URCC) looking after them.
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| Alvin Aguilar Knows MMA and knows what the fighters needs are |
TOURNAMENTS / OTHER PLAYERS
The URCC has two major promotions a year in Manila. It has four Provincial tours (Baguio, Bacolod, Cebu and Davao), it also promotes at the university / college level and has now developed a grass roots program with Tribal gear in several provinces and in the metro - along with a few bespoke events the URCC alone throws down fourteen events in a year. With that amount, odds are there will be more talents discovered, and with that many tourneys, the talent that has been discovered will now have a circuit for that talent to be further developed.
Other indicators are the entrance of PXC , One FC ( which has recently partnered with URCC more proof) and rumors of Legend FC HK, making a play for market share in the Philippines. Again, all the new promotions give the local fighters a chance to hone and develop their skill almost all year long - and that's just fighting in the Philippines.
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| We want Filipino MMA fighters |
Did we mention Dana white's hard-on for the Philippines? its no secret. Either TUF or UFC will be in Manila, very soon. Mr. White knows that if he develops just one Filipino fighter ( read local boy) he will have tapped into the same demographic goldmine that makes Manny Pacquiao millions a year on PPV. The Filipinos in the USA are hungry for heroes and they are a huge minority with spending power.
SCHOOLS /CLUBS /GYMS
Lakay wushu, Yaw-yan, Deftac to name a few, have been around for decades. Lakay wushu has produced several asian games wushu champions and MMA champs. Yaw-yan has a huge network of schools around the country-and as URCC founder says "nowadays you cant throw a rock without hitting an MMA school in the Philippines" There's been an explosion of new MMA gyms, clubs and teams , and when you consider that apart from the traditional schools mentioned above, more and more jiujitsu schools abound, and MMA training is offered in places like colleges and even high schools
TALENT
Eduard folayang, Eric Kelly , Kevin Belingon have all proven their mettle against quality opponents. The good news is there are guys like Jessi Rafios, Reggie Amarante, Roy Docyogen, Honorio Banario, Alvin Ramirez waiting for thier international debuts. The Philippine bench is deep and its just getting deeper as MMA gets more popular. Filipinos are all about combat sports, enough said.
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| Talent runs deep |
