MMA Q&A with Hector Lombard: Attract Bigger and Better Sponsors

Hector Lombard (aka Shango) is an Australian professional mixed-martial arts fighter. Hector is currently the middleweight champion of Cage Fighting Championship based in Australia and the current middleweight champion for Bellator Fighting Championships.

Hector is a former Olympic Judo competitor originally from Cuba who is now an Australian citizen but currently residing in America. Hector is currently training at American Top Team in Florida and has a fighting record of 22 wins, two losses and one draw.

Hector has recently stated that he wants to fight Dan Henderson in Strikeforce.

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Here is my Q&A session with Hector Lombard:

James
In your opinion, what needs to change in 2010 to make MMA more widely accepted and mainstream popular?

Hector
We do need bigger sponsors for MMA.

James
What do you love most about MMA?

Hector
What I like about the sport is that is all or nothing.

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Okay, clearly Hector is a man of few words. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your view), I am not.

Hector has certainly pointed out a very key issue that exists today in MMA – sponsorship (aka making more money!)

The problem (if I am interpreting Hector correctly) is that MMA organizations need larger corporate sponsors in order to start paying their fighters significantly more, but the larger issue is that MMA has not yet reached a level of popularity that would warrant such an investment – at least not in the eyes of the major sponsors / investors / companies.

Think about it….

Major companies (Nike for example) do a ton of market research and will not invest into something that they don’t believe is popular enough (or mainstream enough) to guarantee a return on their investment.

Correction – not just a “return” on the investment. It must be significantly profitable.

Personally, I think this is a bit near-sighted by potential investors, but for now how can you blame ‘Big Corporate’ for being sceptical?

The current MMA demographic (so I have read) are males between 18-49 years of age. The female demographic is curiously all but ignored but obviously it exists as well.

However, there are two very significant and major demographics missing from this equation: The Baby Boomers and youth under 18. Let’s face it, a sport like baseball (let’s not get into the whole steroid thing or I might have to turn this article into a book) is a heck of a lot easier to market to families (which would include Grandpa and baby Junior) than MMA is.

Denial aside – there’s just no ignoring the fact that parents don’t want their pre-teen children watching MMA and the older generation was mostly turned off from the sport thanks in part to the early days of the UFC (I loved it and likely you did as well, but please remember that you and I don’t represent the lacking audience).

The largest percentage of our North American / Global population also happens to hold the vast majority of our economic wealth and according to market research studies – they don’t watch MMA. Therefore, with so many places to invest, larger companies are struggling to understand the benefit to them as it relates to their specific need (which of course is to make money).

Sell companies on the benefits for them and they will invest. So what’s the problem then?

Just sell them…right?

Well, there’s also the bigger problem of image association. Sponsors take on the images and reputations of the companies / athletes that they sponsor.

No doubt AT&T thought that Tiger Woods was about the safest sporting investment on the planet (again, let’s not turn this into “what a jerk Tiger is” discussion – your opinion, not mine). MMA hardly represents the marketable image of a guy like Tiger or Lebron or Favre (but Couture is pretty close).

And to make things worse, MMA has a head spokesman like Dana White at the helm (and for the record, I’m not saying that I don’t like Dana White or that he hasn’t done a ton for the sport, but…) investors don’t like “unprofessional”.

Me – I like Brock Lesnar. Do you think he’ll be on the cover of a Wheaties box any time soon?

Nope!

Why not?

All you have to do is watch UFC 100 to figure that out. All bad behaviour is remembered in the media. The media is like a pitbull when it comes to what they consider to be newsworthy and they just don’t like to forget the past – especially if it’s negative.

And guess what?

Sponsors absorb that negativity as well.

On the plus side, I think that Brock has done an amazing job working with the UFC to bring in the exact target audience that they were seeking – at that time. Well done.

And not to digress too much, but since I’m kinda ranting here, let me just say this about Dana White:

If Dana White wants to be the Don Cherry for “Generation Y” (both are loved, controversial sports figures / leaders) then I say – good job! Keep it up!

If on the other hand, Dana White genuinely wants this sport to grow (and not just for the UFC) then he needs to start acting in a way that doesn’t intimidate potential audiences and investors. Everyone, from promoters to fighters to fans, needs to start acting in a way that will legitimize MMA and not in a way that will continue to hinder it.

But that’s the whole point of the image right? To intimidate?

This, for obvious reasons does not bode well from a larger marketing perspective – at least not to kids and seniors (looks great on a t-shirt though).

And for this reason…

I personally don’t anticipate a massive evolution in MMA for at least another decade. Maybe longer – but believe me when I tell you that it will happen. It’s just a matter of time.

For now it would seem that today’s fighters will just have to be patient and feel good knowing that they are the pioneers, not unlike the early days of the NFL (all of the blood and pain and none of the salary). The good news is that there is a dedicated, driving force behind MMA right now with a massive amount of optimism.

Nothing would make me happier than for my prediction to be wrong but for that to happen, everyone will need to pull together and make it happen.

Anyway, thanks very much Hector and all the best to you in the New Year! Hang in there my friend.

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Summary of Articles: What Needs to Change in 2010?

Part One – Ron Van Clief – Improve Officiating and Judging
Part Two – Pat Miletich – Eliminate Business Monopoly
Part Three – Phillipe Nover – Target Youth Through Enhanced Marketing
Part Four – Efrain Escudero – Increase ‘Behind the Scenes’ Footage
Part Five – Gabriel Gonzaga – Demonstrate Greater Respect and Sportsmanship
Part Six – Hector Lombard – Attract Bigger and Better Sponsors

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These are my opinions. If you don’t like them…I have others. Check them out at www.mrjamesryan.com