UFC 300: The martial arts giant celebrates its anniversary – and remains a “juicer”

The UFC stands for spectacle – the Champions League of martial arts is celebrating its 300th major event with prominent fights. MMA icon Sobotta experienced the organization himself as a fighter. For ntv.de he takes a look at the UFC’s “mega event” and explains how the industry leader has changed.

Dana White promises “the biggest night in combat sports” for UFC 300. The anniversary event of the most influential MMA organization in the world (Sunday, April 14th/2 p.m. on DAZN) is peppered with superlatives: 13 current and former UFC champions, boxing Hall of Famers and Olympic champions. Las Vegas cage fighting is a who’s who of the martial arts scene. Together with ex-UFC fighter Peter Sobotta, ntv.de took a look at the fights at the historic event and how the organization has developed in recent years – in some areas not for the better.

Even though Sobotta ended his active career in the cage in July 2020, he remains in close contact with the American flagship event organizer. The 37-year-old from Balingen in Baden-Württemberg has coached many fighters in the UFC in recent years, most recently the Ukrainian Denys Bondar at his fight in Mexico at the end of February. He is also an expert for the UFC’s pay-per-view events on the streaming service DAZN. It’s hard to get more insight in front of and behind the scenes.

For Sobotta, UFC 300 is “not the mega event,” but at least it is the best line-up of fights this year. “What’s perhaps missing a bit is this really big name. I think many people wanted Conor McGregor to fight, for Israel Adesanya to come back or for two champions to compete against each other. So this one megafight that shakes up the MMA galaxy. ” How good the schedules ultimately are can be seen in the prelims – i.e. the preliminary fights. For example, the duel between the Czech Jiří Procházka and the Austrian Aleksandar Rakić is not among the five main fights. “This fight would probably fill a stadium in Europe,” says Sobotta.

“Favorite fight” for the European crown

“This is my favorite fight of the evening, also because of the emotional connection. Both fighters come from the European scene and they know each other,” said the boss of the Balinger Planet Eater Gym. The methodical Rakić is opposed to a completely unpredictable Procházka. “This chaotic and very risky fighting style is his greatest strength and his greatest weakness at the same time. If I had to give a tip, I would go with Procházka. Let’s put it this way: Rakić has to do a hell of a lot right to beat his opponent three times in five minutes “To be able to dominate and control. That won’t be easy.”

The winner of this “King of Europe” duel will then leave the event as a contender for a title fight. Who will then hold the light heavyweight belt will be determined in the main fight between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill. In anticipation of the megafight called Sobotta, the fans reacted rather cautiously at the time the main fight was announced. “They are both very good fighters,” admits Sobotta. But he doesn’t expect any tension from this duel. “Jamal is coming back from a very serious injury and a long break. Pereira is healthy, active and has delivered in the last few fights. It’s MMA, anything can happen, no question about it. But I already have Alex Pereira well ahead.”

A real highlight, on the other hand, is the title fight, which actually isn’t one. The “Baddest Motherfucker” belt was created from the idea of ​​honoring the fighter with the most impressive knockout victories. There is no ranking like in the other weight classes and so far it has only been fought twice. With Justin Gaethje, the BMF title is currently at least held by one of the most spectacular fighters in the UFC. Nobody received more bonuses for their early victories. The challenger is Max Holloway. He holds the record for the most significant hits in the organization – no one gives out more.

“It will be a blast,” promises Sobotta in the duel between the two lightweights and expects an open exchange of blows. “They’re both fighters who like to go forward, who can both take it well, but also dish out a lot. Holloway feels indestructible, Gaethje is known for his hard hands. With him, I wonder how long this can last anyway. This one The material battles that he engages in every time are not good for your health.” That’s why you have to be grateful for every fight that you can still see from the Americans.

MMA sport is booming thanks to UFC

All in all, that sounds like a lot of spectacle. This is what the UFC has always stood for. No sports organization benefited as much from the pandemic as the UFC, which was the first to offer live sports again. In the previous fiscal year, the UFC posted revenue of more than $1 billion, most of which came from the TV deal with ESPN. The MMA organization remains true to its principles in some areas, but has also changed over the years.

“In terms of processes, the UFC is the ultimate. I’ve never experienced anything better. The UFC has changed a lot in terms of business model in recent years.” Sobotta made his debut in the organization at UFC 99 almost 15 years ago in Cologne. “There were significantly fewer events, but also fewer fighters on the roster. There were around 200 fighters back then. I think we’re almost at 1000 now.”

The enormous number of athletes now ensures that the UFC screens them out rigorously. Sobotta also had to experience this with his Ukrainian protégé Bondar, who lost in the second round to the Mexican Ronaldo Rodriguez – Bondar’s third defeat in the UFC. “The Tuesday after the fight I got a call from the UFC matchmaker saying that Denys was out. It didn’t matter whether the fight was a close thing.” With one fight still left in his contract, Sobotta proactively approached the organization immediately after the defeat and wanted his protégé to be able to prove himself again as quickly as possible. But that didn’t help.

“The UFC is just a juicer. They squeeze as long as there’s juice coming out. And if they think there’s not enough left, then they’re disposed of,” says the 37-year-old about the organization, which in his eyes has faced competition When it comes to paying the fighters, it should still be the goal of every MMA fighter in purely sporting terms.

Does Germany have to wait until UFC 400?

According to Sobotta, the UFC is no longer quite as bold when it comes to penetrating new markets. “I think this is also due to the pandemic,” said the grappling specialist. During this time, the UFC built the Apex, a kind of training center including a TV studio, where events are held regularly – in front of a relatively small audience. “They make a lot of money with the TV deals. And for a broadcaster like ESPN, it’s not that important whether they’re doing the event in Mexico City or in Apex. It’s mostly about regular content.” Personally, the 37-year-old thinks it’s a shame that there aren’t that many UFC events in Europe. Accordingly, European fighters would have a lower chance of making the jump and being booked.

In Germany, people have been waiting for the industry leader to return for more than six years. But it won’t be until UFC 400 before the “circus” hits the Federal Republic again. Local heroes are needed and they are currently being developed, says Sobotta. “When I observe the scene in the country, we currently have a lot of young fighters who are in the starting blocks. There are the necessary training structures and the contacts to get the boys there.” But there is also a lot of work behind it. “The generation of fighters who are now between 18 and 25, one or two of them could be able to fight in the UFC. But that will take a while.”