Is there any need to organise a promotion in Uzbekistan? Review of professional MMA tournament

On October 23-25, MMA tournament was held at the MHSK sports complex in Tashkent. It is no exaggeration to say that the competition for the Defense Minister's Cup was very spectacular and intense. If we pay attention to the winners and prize-winners at the end of the tournament, we can see that among the champions, Uzbekistan has "a name" in the world of MMA. They have proven to be really strong. We can also see that new talents are also maturing.

In particular, if we look at the professional record of Azamat Nuftillaev, who won the championship in the weight category of 120 kg, we can see a 4-0 result. Continuing his undefeated streak, he is the FFC - Falco Fighting Championship promotional champion. Islam Makhammatjanov, who won in the 65.8kg weight class, also has a 3-0 record and, more importantly, he was quite strong, having a single fight in the Czech promotion XFN, knocking out his opponent in 35 seconds. Shokhasan Mirzamatov, who started his career many years ago and returned to the octagon after a 6-year break, also won the competition in the middleweight category (83.9 kg) for the first time.

Jakhongir Jumaev and Jasur Mirzamukhamedov are also athletes who have hight results in hand-to-hand combat and other martial arts. It is worth saying that the participation of fighters of the same level has increased the level and prestige of the tournament. In a word, in the tournament among professionals, the true professionals have proved that their success in the international arena is not just a coincidence, while they have achieved good results.

Another gratifying aspect is the strong competition in this sport in Uzbekistan ... Many of the young people who took part in the tournament showed serious resistance to their experienced rivals and were able to convince them that we can expect high results in the future. In the super lightweight (56.7 kg) Khasan Urokov defeated his strong and experienced opponents and rose to the top of the podium, while in the super lightweight (61.8 kg) Jasurbek Anorbaev also won the championship. There were no opponents who beat Samandar Sattorov in the welterweight division (77.1 kg) and Shahboz Artikov in the 93.8 kg.

So, this tournament has shown that we have enough raw materials and we need to use them effectively. That is, a lot of young people in Uzbekistan are entering the world of MMA. As the popularity of MMA grows, we can see that this sport is also developing in remote areas. Of course, for us, the opening of the association a few years ago was just a dream. Although the MMA Association of Uzbekistan has not been active for a long time, it has managed to do a lot of work. The first-ever amateur championship of Uzbekistan, the Uzbekistan Cup and professional tournaments are examples of the above. In addition, the organization of the GFC 20 tournament in Tashkent was a special gift for fans.

Gradually, all the work that needs to be done is being done. However, it would be expedient to open a promotion in Uzbekistan. Probably, work on this issue has already begun. Because, if we look at the world experience, the role of promotions is usually high. We hear more phrases like ACA, Fight Night, M-1, GFC than the U.S. MMA Federation or UFC, “Bellator” are more popular, or the federation which is more popular in the Russian MMA world. There are several such promotions in neighboring Kazakhstan, including the Alash Pride, or the WEF in Kyrgyzstan. So not all of Uzbek professional fighters can sign contracts with foreign promoters. Therefore, in opinion, it is necessary to recommend them, to be directly monitored by foreign managers, as well as to take into account the financial aspects, and to organize a promotion that regularly organizes such battles ...

Obviously, it all comes down to money. But if marketing is well established, this should also be addressed. It is clear that any battle night will be overflowing with fans if the pandemic is eliminated. Especially if the participation of foreign fighters is established, there will be more interest. Maybe, in time, it will be possible to earn more money from broadcasting ... But one thing is clear, the organization of the promotion will ensure the further development of this sport in Uzbekistan, increase the number of strong fighters in the world's strongest promotions such as UFC, Bellator and One Championship. It is also expected to have a positive impact on the development of tourism.

Of course, the "big caravan" had just set off. We are confident that such events will happen soon. After all, the initiatives and activities of the MMA Association of Uzbekistan cause us to express such an opinion!