IT WAS ANNOUNCED this morning that, as had been speculated, BAMMA will be coming to Ireland for the first time later this year.
The British mixed martial arts organisation will host BAMMA 22 at the 3Arena in Dublin on Saturday, 19 September. With the Ultimate Fighting Championship expected to return in October, it’ll make for an exciting few weeks for Ireland’s mixed martial arts community.
The two events — should they go ahead — will be just a month apart, and although they’ll take place in the same venue, there’ll be a considerable difference when it comes to the demand for tickets.
For BAMMA to opt for the 3Arena for their inaugural Irish event is an ambitious decision. Hiring the venue comes at a significant cost so they’ll need a healthy attendance to justify it. Broadcasting around the world from a half-empty venue also won’t do them any favours. In order to avoid that, the likelihood is that they’ll set the arena up for a capacity limited to around 4,000.
Cage Warriors staged six sold-out shows at The Helix — with a capacity of approximately 1,000 — between 2012 and 2014, but for a similar regional organisation like BAMMA to throw itself in at the deep end at the country’s largest indoor arena is a brave move.
However, MMA has never been so popular in Ireland so there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that it’s the correct call. If the UFC can attract interest from over 70,000 fans for a Q&A session between two fighters, surely it’s reasonable for one of the world’s leading organisations outside the UFC to expect to sell 4,000 tickets for an event which will actually feature fights.
Unfortunately, the scenario is unlikely to be that simple. The increased interest in MMA in Ireland over the past two years has been remarkable, and that’s predominantly down to the fact that this country is home to arguably the most exciting athlete in the sport today — Conor McGregor.
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The announcement of BAMMA 22 comes at a good time for mixed martial arts in Ireland. BAMMABAMMA
The 26-year-old Dublin featherweight, who could become a UFC champion a month from today, has almost single-handedly brought MMA from obscurity to the mainstream thanks to his ability to captivate audiences — whether he’s in the octagon or on a microphone.
Irish MMA should be enormously thankful to McGregor for being the catalyst for the growth of a sport which was ignored until 2013. Everyone connected to MMA in Ireland — fans, gyms, coaches, fighters — has benefited.
There are seven other Irish fighters currently in the UFC, plus several more in other credible organisations, who have carved out sustainable careers as professionals. They don’t owe their success to McGregor, of course — they’ve worked extremely hard for it themselves — but a rising tide lifts all boats and his popularity has helped their cause.
The Irish public isn’t alone in finding itself more interested in Conor McGregor than any other MMA fighter — that seems to be the case all over the world at the moment — but one wonders what kind of picture would emerge for Irish MMA were McGregor to be subtracted from the equation.
There’s no doubting that mixed martial arts, as a whole, has grown in popularity, but to what extent? Has Ireland really become obsessed with it, or is the fascination with the man, and not the sport?
BAMMA 22 could provide a good indication. With Cage Warriors currently lying dormant, BAMMA has capitalised by re-establishing itself as the top organisation in the UK and one of the very best in Europe.
No ticket prices have been announced yet and just the headline bout has been revealed, but that fight — French prospect and featherweight champion Tom Duquesnoy versus former UFC fighter Brendan Loughnane — is sure to be worth the price of admission on its own.
If fans are pessimistic about what to expect from a BAMMA event when compared to the UFC, they’ll be pleasantly surprised. For the most part, the production will be of a similar level and given the amount of talent currently on their roster, the upper echelons of the bill won’t be unlike a UFC preliminary card.
As Cage Warriors regularly proved to fans in Dublin, if this is your first experience of a non-UFC mixed martial arts event, you’re unlikely to be disappointed. These events deliver value for money and they’re essential for the long-term health of MMA in Ireland, because the current level of interest is unlikely to be sustained by an annual visit by the UFC.
Domestic promotions like Batllezone and Clan Wars have been — and continue to be — pivotal in providing a platform for grassroots talent, but Ireland needs promotions like BAMMA to give experienced and established professionals the chance to knock at the UFC’s door.
Chris Fields is just one Irish fighter who's likely to feature at BAMMA 22. Dolly ClewDolly Clew
By the time BAMMA arrives in Dublin, Ireland may have a UFC world champion. At the time, fans probably never fully appreciated the opportunity to pay a small price to see the likes of Conor McGregor, Cathal Pendred and Joseph Duffy competing at The Helix before they departed for the global stage.
BAMMA 22 is sure to feature fighters who’ll be competing in the UFC within a year. Why wait until then to see them in action when you can do so now — and probably for a fraction of the cost?
If your interest in MMA has yet to expand beyond the UFC, 19 September might be the time to change that — if you want it to. A packed 3Arena could be the clearest indication yet that Irish MMA really is here to take over, and not just take part.
September is a chance for Ireland to show that its interest in MMA extends beyond just one man
IT WAS ANNOUNCED this morning that, as had been speculated, BAMMA will be coming to Ireland for the first time later this year.
The British mixed martial arts organisation will host BAMMA 22 at the 3Arena in Dublin on Saturday, 19 September. With the Ultimate Fighting Championship expected to return in October, it’ll make for an exciting few weeks for Ireland’s mixed martial arts community.
The two events — should they go ahead — will be just a month apart, and although they’ll take place in the same venue, there’ll be a considerable difference when it comes to the demand for tickets.
For BAMMA to opt for the 3Arena for their inaugural Irish event is an ambitious decision. Hiring the venue comes at a significant cost so they’ll need a healthy attendance to justify it. Broadcasting around the world from a half-empty venue also won’t do them any favours. In order to avoid that, the likelihood is that they’ll set the arena up for a capacity limited to around 4,000.
Cage Warriors staged six sold-out shows at The Helix — with a capacity of approximately 1,000 — between 2012 and 2014, but for a similar regional organisation like BAMMA to throw itself in at the deep end at the country’s largest indoor arena is a brave move.
However, MMA has never been so popular in Ireland so there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that it’s the correct call. If the UFC can attract interest from over 70,000 fans for a Q&A session between two fighters, surely it’s reasonable for one of the world’s leading organisations outside the UFC to expect to sell 4,000 tickets for an event which will actually feature fights.
Unfortunately, the scenario is unlikely to be that simple. The increased interest in MMA in Ireland over the past two years has been remarkable, and that’s predominantly down to the fact that this country is home to arguably the most exciting athlete in the sport today — Conor McGregor.
The 26-year-old Dublin featherweight, who could become a UFC champion a month from today, has almost single-handedly brought MMA from obscurity to the mainstream thanks to his ability to captivate audiences — whether he’s in the octagon or on a microphone.
Irish MMA should be enormously thankful to McGregor for being the catalyst for the growth of a sport which was ignored until 2013. Everyone connected to MMA in Ireland — fans, gyms, coaches, fighters — has benefited.
There are seven other Irish fighters currently in the UFC, plus several more in other credible organisations, who have carved out sustainable careers as professionals. They don’t owe their success to McGregor, of course — they’ve worked extremely hard for it themselves — but a rising tide lifts all boats and his popularity has helped their cause.
The Irish public isn’t alone in finding itself more interested in Conor McGregor than any other MMA fighter — that seems to be the case all over the world at the moment — but one wonders what kind of picture would emerge for Irish MMA were McGregor to be subtracted from the equation.
There’s no doubting that mixed martial arts, as a whole, has grown in popularity, but to what extent? Has Ireland really become obsessed with it, or is the fascination with the man, and not the sport?
BAMMA 22 could provide a good indication. With Cage Warriors currently lying dormant, BAMMA has capitalised by re-establishing itself as the top organisation in the UK and one of the very best in Europe.
No ticket prices have been announced yet and just the headline bout has been revealed, but that fight — French prospect and featherweight champion Tom Duquesnoy versus former UFC fighter Brendan Loughnane — is sure to be worth the price of admission on its own.
If fans are pessimistic about what to expect from a BAMMA event when compared to the UFC, they’ll be pleasantly surprised. For the most part, the production will be of a similar level and given the amount of talent currently on their roster, the upper echelons of the bill won’t be unlike a UFC preliminary card.
As Cage Warriors regularly proved to fans in Dublin, if this is your first experience of a non-UFC mixed martial arts event, you’re unlikely to be disappointed. These events deliver value for money and they’re essential for the long-term health of MMA in Ireland, because the current level of interest is unlikely to be sustained by an annual visit by the UFC.
Domestic promotions like Batllezone and Clan Wars have been — and continue to be — pivotal in providing a platform for grassroots talent, but Ireland needs promotions like BAMMA to give experienced and established professionals the chance to knock at the UFC’s door.
By the time BAMMA arrives in Dublin, Ireland may have a UFC world champion. At the time, fans probably never fully appreciated the opportunity to pay a small price to see the likes of Conor McGregor, Cathal Pendred and Joseph Duffy competing at The Helix before they departed for the global stage.
BAMMA 22 is sure to feature fighters who’ll be competing in the UFC within a year. Why wait until then to see them in action when you can do so now — and probably for a fraction of the cost?
If your interest in MMA has yet to expand beyond the UFC, 19 September might be the time to change that — if you want it to. A packed 3Arena could be the clearest indication yet that Irish MMA really is here to take over, and not just take part.
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Bamma BAMMA 22 Brendan Loughnane Conor McGregor MMA Opinion Tom Duquesnoy UFC