_CaptainRon

Dana's designation of Canada as the Mecca of MMA was an impulsive comment spurred by the string of consecutive successful shows. He's stuck by it, and I doubt he anoints another country as the the city , but you're foolish not to think that the US isn't the true heart of MMA. There are undeniably strong roots in Brazil, Japan, Canada, and the UK, but the US is the strongest market by a large sum.

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tripster

I'm not so sure about that. If you look at it from a per capita basis, with only 35 million people Canada has delivered the largest audiences. The USA is 10 times that at 300 million and the shows are only about 20,000 strong. Now with Brazil in the mix we are still talking about a country with 200 million people. I doubt that on a per capita basis they will come close to Canada. Here's the other thing, I predict the show in Brazil to be the first and last. I expect the stadium to erupt into violence.

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Tripster

_CaptainRon

Per capita is about as useful as PVP rankings, JDS would kill Jose Aldo 10/10 times. Big audiences watching title fights with huge gates provide attractive figures, but everyone forgets the dozen shows that were put on in between the blockbusters. Where are the Fight Nights and contender bouts held?

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Don$ukh

I think MMA is still too young to have a Mecca like venue. For that you need to have fans clamouring from around the world that acknowldge the mecca venue is the best event they can go to. Like Madison square garden for boxing or Wembley for football(soccer).
The closest UFC event to mecca has to be in Vegas like the MGM. When a fan visits Vegas they remember the fights and the lucrative reputation that comes with Vegas.

The Canadian event which had a record sell out could run for one the best events with the attendance and atmosphere but not the appeal of grandeur. A fan could say its one of the best events. but it wont have the lucrative status of visiting a big Vegas event.

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tripster

Well they are held in Vegas but that is more about the economics of costs and the logisitcs than the size of the audience. The Vegas UFC nights barely bring in 15000 people and are typically the smallest gate of all events.

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Toxic

MMA is more popular in Canada but there is also the lowest room for growth. I am positive that mma will become just as popular in the US within this decade as it is in Canada.

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