« Boston Globe article on UFC | Home | Interview with Sam Stout »
Shukan Playboy: The bubble is bursting
By Zach Arnold | July 11, 2006
By Zach Arnold
This week’s edition of Shukan Playboy has a four-page spread titled who killed martial art movement? in English next to Japanese text asking what killed the Japanese kakutougi (MMA) boom. It’s a fairly complete article in terms of writing, with numerous sportswriters being quoted and all the facts being accurate. The main theme of the article is that more and more people in the Japanese fight business are calculating that Japan is no longer going to be the primary market for fighting, and that business is quickly shifting to America. There are some interesting viewpoints in the article that should be read closely.
The Shukan Playboy article addresses Fuji TV’s cancelation of PRIDE and the K-1/Bob Sapp fiasco as the two big events that have lead to the current climate in Japan. There’s a discussion about how there has been an MMA boom in Japan for the last 10 years, and that the bubble is finally bursting. Questions in the article are raised about obtaining sponsors now that Fuji TV got rid of PRIDE (due to scandal), even though the PRIDE 7/1 Saitama show drew a claimed 44,606. A sportswriter is quoted on how the role of TV has impacted sports such as kickboxing and what it ultimately means for PRIDE.
The article shifts to the image of PRIDE being damaged. Tarzan Yamamoto is asked about the roots of the kakutougi (MMA) boom, and he notes that the shift from pro-wrestling to MMA occured because MMA became a big business with big contents (fights) to produce for TV. Yamamoto said that MMA made pro-wrestling into a “small business.” A Sankei Sports writer (who is generally favorable to K-1 and PRIDE) was also quoted. The article states that MMA was able to develop big Japanese stars (while pro-wrestling in Japan didn’t do so). One example brought up is Masato, the ace of K-1 World MAX, and how he has brought in tons of new female fans.
The article shifts to the Bob Sapp/Holland debacle and how the big war between the two major powers (PRIDE & K-1) has raised the stakes. The issue of fight money is brought up, and a sportswriter mentions the names of big gaijins from the past such as Andy Hug, Peter Aerts, and Mike Bernardo of guys who were stars and elevated the business.
The article closes out talking about just why the bubble is bursting for MMA in Japan, discussing the role of both promoters and TV networks in the industry. “Kameda fever,” as in support of the brash Kameda boxing brothers, is listed as a big concern for those in the Japanese MMA industry. The last few paragraphs are spent talking about PRIDE trying to shift their business in America, as UFC is currently the dominant power and that business has increased significantly in America — especially on PPV. The Japanese viewpoint is that things are declining steadily in Japan, while the money is shifting to America and that the calculated move to adjust to the business climate must be made.
For Japanese MMA fans, the article does read as a cautionary tale of things to come. It is a good article aimed for a mainstream audience that may or may not know anything about the fight industry other than what they’ve seen on free TV in the past.
Update: There are some people online who are trying to use this article translation as if I am the one who is personally making a declaration that the business is dying in Japan. I am not making that declaration personally, but the author of the article did. Some valid points were raised in the article, and it is not an invalid claim to make that the MMA industry is picking up steam in America while it is starting to show some declining signs in Japan.
Topics: All Topics, Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |