MMAPredictions

Sometimes when I am around friends who enjoy mixed martial arts, I ask if they will be attending the upcoming MMA event that our local MMA promotion will be holding. The response I get is usually a combination of vague knowledge that there is another show coming up, and waffling about what they are doing that evening.

I am a little perplexed but I can not be too upset that they are not interested. Usually it is because they have no experience attending a local MMA show. With luck this article will change some attitudes, get folks off their couch, and get them to grab their keys and give local MMA a chance.

What is it about local MMA shows that are so much fun?

1. Large events are great for the elite competition you can watch. But ticket prices can be excessive, the lines long, and sometimes your seats are so far away you wish you had stayed at home because you would have gotten a better taste of the action there.

   Local mixed martial arts shows, whether east coast, west coast or anywhere in between are no doubt the best bang for the buck. The dozens of regional MMA promoters hold events so regularly it’s hard to keep up with them.

   Tickets to local MMA shows are inexpensive. How much would you pay when you head out for a night on the town? Depending on where you live in the country, you’re probably looking at upwards of $40. Most local MMA events cost between fifteen and twenty-five dollars.

2. You’re never very far from the action in a local MMA show. You can hear the smack of a kick hitting its target, listen to the fighters’ corners as they yell instructions, and feel the slam when the fighters hit the mat. In a large MMA event there is no way you can enjoy the show the same way without spending an arm and a leg.
3. It is in the regional shows that tomorrow’s international stars cut their teeth. Some may gripe that the level of fighters may not be the same in a smaller show as you would find in, say, the UFC. That is true. But to be honest it’s the scrappy, unpolished, young fighters who sometimes put on the most exciting fights. For whatever reason, stalling is not in their blood at local shows.

So now that we have covered why you want to support local MMA, how can you find out about what events are coming up near you? The good news is that there are several great resources for finding out about upcoming MMA events:

• Sherdog’s Event Page: Once you’re here, click on “Upcoming” to see a long list of MMA events around the globe.
• MMA.tv’s Event Page: an extensive list of regional MMA and grappling events.
• iCompete.org: the great thing about iCompete is that you can add events for free, get free email updates of whatever martial arts event you want, and even integrate listings of events that have been posted by others into your own website. You can check it out in action on The FightWorks Podcast’s listing of all upcoming Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling events that is displayed along the right side of the page.

Get out and support your local MMA shows. I guarantee you it will be more fun and cost less than heading out the bar with your friends. Local MMA is inexpensive, more fun, and who knows – you may be one of the first to see the next Fedor Emelianenko in action.

Do you have more reasons why folks should support local MMA? Let us know in the MMA Forums here on MMAPredictions!

- Caleb

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