In a free-flowing conversation with iSportConnect's Taruka Srivastav, Alexander Engelhardt, president of the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA), spoke about the organisation's unique approach of prioritising athlete development and safety over entertainment, recent partnerships and various opportunities for sponsorship and growth.
What is GAMMA’s current strategy, vision and mission?
GAMMA's vision is to take mixed martial arts to the next level and position it as a leader in combat sports globally. We not only seek recognition within the Olympic Movement, but to grow mixed martial arts as a force for good at the local level around the world, benefiting society and communities. We strive to foster a culture of principled sportsmanship rooted in Olympic values, as well as the spiritual values of traditional martial arts such as humility, discipline and respect.
Demonstrating our ability to govern and uphold the highest standards of integrity is essential to achieving our strategic vision, but more than that, we aim to lead by example, set new benchmarks in MMA and earn the trust and respect of the international sports community through innovation and collaboration.
GAMMA is inherently athlete and community-centric and we recognise that as we expand, we need to embrace and be guided by our values. To achieve our international ambitions, the work we do locally will be our main driver, strengthening and supporting the development of national federations, always working from the ground up, from local level, through strong continental federations, to international level.
What are you looking forward to this year at Paris 2024?
The inclusion of new disciplines like breaking, skateboarding and surfing in Paris is a positive sign of the IOC's desire to introduce sports that reflect the preferences of younger audiences and are suited to the shorter digital formats. This change opens the door to the possible future inclusion of mixed martial arts, a young, dynamic and visceral sport that grew on the internet and has seen exponential growth and audience engagement since its inception in the early '90s. MMA is particularly popular with younger generations, not only at a fan level but more importantly at a participation level, and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down.
What is your (commercial/digital/marketing/content) strategy and key challenges?
The focus to date (since GAMMA was founded in 2019 just before the COVID pandemic) has been on building the structure and infrastructure of amateur sport, without which the product would not come about. Right now, we are focused on growing the GAMMA brand and its profile, and communicating the appeal of GAMMA MMA through the Olympic tournament format. From there, our next step will be to aggressively commercialize through the usual mediums of hosting rights fees, broadcast, digital and commercial partnerships, but of course we are open to partnership discussions right now.
GAMMA not only develops a sport that is already showing great commercial potential at professional level, but also offers a strong network that reaches all the way to the highest levels of governments in many countries. Being a sport rather than a sports entertainment product, it has greater potential in terms of attracting participation, engaging with the community and society. Youth participation engages sports viewers outside of their parents, families and the dedicated MMA fanbase. However, in terms of traditional sports revenue streams, the fact that we fully own all our content and are a young, flexible organisation offers immense medium and long-term opportunities for commercial partners who engage with us at an early stage.
One of GAMMA's main challenges will be overcoming the negative perception of MMA. However, there has been a cultural and legal shift in recent years, reflected in the recent transition from a ring to a fenced-in “MMA arena.” And, not surprisingly, there is increased competition for space within the Olympic framework. However, we believe MMA will be an asset to the movement on many levels. But ultimately, recognition means much more than Olympic inclusion. Recognition will lead to effectively protecting and governing the sport around the world and expanding access to its benefits.
Who are your distribution partners and what is the scope of your collaboration?
This year, we have seen an increase in generous core sponsorship from ONE Championship and other private donors, demonstrating their confidence in our progress. This has given us the opportunity to first evolve our organization and build a solid foundation from which we can develop commercial opportunities. We have been fortunate to have our independence granted by funders motivated by philanthropy and corporate social responsibility for sport in general. GAMMA has recently partnered with the Johan Cruyff Institute to establish clear and comprehensive educational pathways that meet the diverse needs of MMA participants, aiming to foster personal and professional progression while actively enabling participation at all levels of the sport.
What are your expansion plans?
We have 73 officially registered members and expect to reach 100 by the end of the year. Currently, our main expansion is through national federations, spearheading their development through education, access to equipment and resources, growing our international competition platform and helping to expand economic opportunities for federations. In this way, we are expanding our base, capabilities and commercialization reach. Increased funding in 2024 will allow us to invest in branding and communications that will increase GAMMA's visibility, appeal and commercial viability. We are open to discussions with any parties who are interested in collaborating on GAMMA's journey and who share our values and love for sport.
