Ch. 4 - The Marketing Environment

Conor McGregor is the UFC's biggest star today due to a large following from his country of Ireland.

The UFC throughout its history has tried to create a star fighter that American fans can get behind.  The most well-known fighter to come out of America in the UFC's history so far is Chuck Liddell.  Liddell became so famous that he was able to star in commercials by big companies such as Bud Light and Duralast.

Chuck Liddell in a Dura Last commercial

However as the UFC became a global brand in mixed-martial arts, new markets began to open up for them; A prime example of this is the fighter named Connor McGreggor.  Connor McGreggor is a fighter of Irish decent, and before his entry into the UFC has created a large buzz throughout the European circuit.  The UFC saw McGreggor as an opportunity to create a market in Ireland, and on February 2013 the company signed the Irish fighter into their roster.  Fast forward 3 years, and UFC's bet paid off, as he is now the most sought-after fighter to watch not only in his hometown of Ireland but all over the world.  The UFC was able to forecast a young MMA market in Ireland and used their resources to advertise Connor McGreggor as much as they can.  Had McGreggor been a boring fighter the UFC's investment in him would not have paid off, but luckily he is a very exciting fighter, in and out of the cage he fights in.