As Conor McGregor continues to prepare for his historic title fight against Rafael Dos Anjos, the coverage of his actions in the run-up to UFC 196 is everywhere to be seen.
We are now at a point where John Kavanagh is being interviewed by Marian Finucane, such is the rise in interest in MMA in this country over the last two years or so.
And how exactly did we get here? Yes, Conor McGregor's unprecedented rise to superstardom has catapulted the sport into mainstream consciousness, but looking back it is clear that one night, one moment, one quote in particular is what caused so many to be bitten by the MMA bug, for lack of a better term.
We're not here to take part, we're here to take-over!
The words rang out in Dublin's 3 Arena, and the place erupted. I vividly remember watching the event with friends, some obsessed with MMA, some uninterested, but "WOW" was the reaction of everyone in the room after those words were uttered. It was the icing on the cake of a remarkable night for Irish MMA. Victories for Paddy Holohan, Neil Seery, Cathal Pendred, Norman Parke, Gunnar Nelson, and of course Conor McGregor meant that the UFC Fight Night held in Dublin had gone as good as it possibly could have, and the effect it had on those who watched it unfold, and in the media, is undeniable.
That night was the catalyst for the obsession with McGregor that many still find tough to accept. MMA had broken through and was to be taken seriously.
Over in England, they are still waiting for that moment, that night, and some believed that an opportunity could present itself at UFC London next week.
I regularly enjoy the views of British MMA journalist Jim Edwards, and his piece in the Independent last week focused on how the up and coming UFC fighters in England had a chance to capture the imagination of the country when the UFC visits London's O2 Arena next week:
In just over two weeks time the UFC will visit London for the first time since 2014 and with it comes the opportunity for new stars to be born and for them to have their 'McGregor moment'. Whilst the card is headlined by British veteran Michael Bisping taking on Anderson Silva, the undercard is littered with young British talent looking to make their names known across the UFC universe and perhaps take the first step in taking the sport to a whole new level in the UK.
Davey Grant, Scott Askham, Norman Parke, Bradley Scott, Mike Wilkinson and Arnold Allen all have the chance to grab the brass ring and make a statement in front of a packed 02 arena crowd and millions watching around the world on UFC Fight Pass online.
But inside that statement lies the problem. UFC Fight Pass.
The UFC is returning to England, and BT Sport, one of the UK's biggest sports broadcasters, will not be showing the event. BT's coverage of MMA is excellent, and one of the rapidly diminishing reasons why I continue to subscribe to their service, but if you were to tune in next week expecting to see the UFC live in London, you would instead see Juventus vs Inter Milan, or Lyon vs PSG.
This isn't entirely the fault of BT, as the UFC have proven themselves to be very keen to push their 'Fight Pass' and it's monthly subscription on their fans as can be seen by the decision to sacrifice any atmosphere for Joseph Duffy's fight with Dustin Poirier back in January. However, could there not be a different arrangement made?
UFC Fight Night: McGregor Vs Brandao was broadcast live on TV3, which meant that absolutely anyone could give it a chance. Do you think as many people would have seen that incredible night of Irish sport if it was on Fight Pass?
Could casual fans, or even curious skeptics, have been convinced to part with their credit card details for a free trial, or even a subscription to see McGregor in action? Even though he was certainly well known back then, I highly doubt it.
Instead, public airing of an event lead to people with no interest in the sport tuning in to see what the fuss was all about, and some of them were captivated by what they saw.
I acknowledge that England does not currently have someone with the star power of Conor McGregor, but as Jim Edwards pointed out, there is some very promising young talent on a card that features a veteran fighting a legend of the sport at the main event. If this was to be broadcast, even on BT Sport where the subscription figures in the UK are still very high, there would be the possibility to attract a new audience.
That opportunity, it appears, will be missed. If the tabloids and online publications knew that many of their viewers would be checking out UFC London then that would give someone like Tom Breese, who obliterated Cathal Pendred in Dublin back in October, some genuine buzz if he were to again impress. And you've seen what the UFC can do for a fighter with a following...
Instead, only the hardcore MMA fans will be tuning in via Fight Pass, and I anticipate that the English media (with exceptions of course) will focus mainly on the outcome of Michael Bisping vs Anderson Silva, leaving the performances of the talented young British fighters on the card to be confined to twitter, reddit, and other online forums, simply because the general public would not know who they are.
The UFC pushing their Fight Pass may well result in a missed opportunity to grow the franchise to a greater level in one of their biggest markets. Tickets for UFC London are sold out, so it's clear that the appetite is there and the following is large, but it is nowhere near what it could be, and forcing viewers to watch via a paid subscription service exclusive to a niche sport is not the way to go about it.
Ah well.
