MMA has seen a meteoric rise to prominence over the last 20 years, capitalising on the ‘amateurisation’ and scandals surrounding boxing, its only real combat sports contender. The sport has had an impact globally, but there are some nations that stand head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.
Here are the top five best countries that have been consistently delivering incredible match after incredible match.
How are the Top MMA Countries Decided?
One of the easiest ways to determine MMA dominance is through viewership. Numbers don’t lie, so in this sense it’s very easy to see which countries are outperforming others based on the number of tickets sold, seats filled, and the number of people tuning in at home through streaming or pay per view events.
Another simple way to figure out MMA dominance by country is by looking at which ones host the biggest and largest number of events. There is a lot of overlap with viewership here, as countries that produce the most MMA fighters tend to have the most MMA viewers as well, but there are some exceptions.
Looking at betting and bookkeeping is another way to see how popular the MMA scene is in a nation. Like the most passionate NFL or NBA fans, diehard MMA fans love to put their money where their mouths are. The countries listed over at askgamblers.com are some examples of how popular sports betting is in general. It’s a great resource for essential information regarding just about anything a gamer or gambler wants to know.
Sports betting can help generate a lot of revenue for any kind of entertainment industry, so the more bettors there are, the bigger a sport tends to be in that region.
Why is it Important to Pay Attention to the MMA’s Main Countries?
Some people only pay attention to the MMA fights and scenes in their own country. Though there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, it would be a shame to not explore what the rest of the world has to offer.
MMA is a very broad category, perhaps one of the most diverse sports ever conceived. Different countries not only produce different fighters, but different techniques and styles of fighting. Watching fights from different countries will allow you to learn more about the world of MMA.
If you’re an MMA fan who resides in one of the top countries, you are fortunate enough to have easy exposure to some of the biggest events in the world. Still, there are up and coming underdogs who come from various places, so it’s a good idea to look elsewhere for MMA scenes and see if any new exciting fighters are on the rise.
Plus, if you’re a fan of sports betting, paying attention to other countries’ MMA scenes could make you a better sports bettor. Different scenes will expose you to different tactics, which will force you to adapt and come up with better wagering skills. You can take these back with you to your main betting scenes, and outperform everyone who has less of a global vision of MMA.
Now, here are the top five MMA countries, especially in terms of viewership and player dominance.
United Kingdom
Though this wasn’t always the case, the United Kingdom has become one of the single best places to be for MMA purposes for a couple years now. This is especially true for England. Dominating players like Paddy Pimblett, with an impressive record and blunt personality, have forced the world to pay attention to the UK MMA scene.
With massive promotional events in this part of the world like the Bushido Challenge, the Cage Warriors and, of course, the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts, anyone who hasn’t been paying attention to British mixed martial arts has a major error to correct. Known for having many rising stars, and currently home to fierce champions like Michael Bisping, Leon Edwards and heavyweight Tom Aspinall, the UK is by far one of the best places in the world for MMA.
Japan
Not only is Japan a haven for wrestling and baseball fans, but MMA fans as well. Japan may be a small country, but with its dense population it has no shortage of MMA viewers and fans of adjacent sports.
Many non-mixed martial arts originated in Japan, such as Sumo or Judo, so it’s not much of a stretch of the imagination to see why mixed martial arts have found a home there.
Whereas many countries are known for their heavyweight and welterweight champions, Japan has consistently produced some of the MMA’s most revered lightweight and middleweight fighters, like Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri. But if Japan is known for anyone, it’s Yushin Okami, arguably one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
Japanese MMA events also have spectacular production value and unique antics from time to time, so you don’t want to miss out on them.
Russia
There are two major kinds of events that Russians have historically been monsters at competing in: the Olympics, and the mixed martial arts. They are one of the few countries that has put out some of the greatest lightweight and heavyweight champions the scene has ever beheld.
It’s hard to explain Russia’s secret to consistent success, but it likely has something to do with their culture of taking deep pride in their labour.
Russia is home to many of the greatest heavyweights the world has ever seen, especially Magomed Ankalaev, Fedor Emelianenko and Sergei Kharitonov. But if anyone has been most recently responsible for Russian MMA pride, it has to be lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, retiring with the greatest undefeated record of 29-0 the sport has ever seen.
Brazil
Brazil is practically synonymous with mixed martial arts. Though non-mixed martial arts originally came from Asian nations, it was Brazil developed and popularized the modern iterations of mixed martial arts that have come to be even more influential than the original versions.
Brazil is by far one of the most populous countries on the planet, so it’s easy to see why it is a top MMA country on this basis alone. Combine the large number of UFC hall of famers it’s produced, along with exceptional fighters like Anderson Silva and Royce Gracie, and you have yourself a recipe for an incredible culture dedicated to MMA.
United States of America
This final entry should surprise no one. America is simply the number one dominating force in the world of MMA, be it viewership or heavyweight championships.
Like Brazil, America has a staggeringly big population, ergo a much bigger talent pool to pull from, so it has produced not only millions of dedicated MMA fans, but some of the greatest fighters in history. Cain Velasquez and Dominick Cruz are obviously some of the legends, but the most recent names in the spotlight are Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.
With the biggest MMA events in the world, like Strikeforce, Bellator and, of course, the world-famous Ultimate Fighting Championship, you cannot call yourself a true MMA fan if you’ve never followed this country seriously.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images