Mixed Martial Arts To Expand Into NASCAR Territory

Posted on | February 4, 2009 | No Comments

By Scoop Malinowski

Ernest Hemingway once supposedly said there are only three real sports: Auto racing, boxing and bull fighting.

Later this month the cultures of auto racing and man-on-man combat will meet for the first time in Daytona Beach, Florida at the Daytona 500 race weekend. Just three miles down the road from the renowned Daytona speedway at the Ocean Center, a mixed martial events show will be staged on the night before Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart attempt to win America’s most prestigious stock car race. This unique idea is the brainchild of former NASCAR employee Doug Bland, founder of the Xtreme Cagefighting Federation.

“What more could the fan base of both sports ask for in one weekend?” asks Bland, who has 13 years of experience working in motor sports. “With over 200,000 people expected in Daytona that weekend, it allows the Xtreme Cagefighting Federation the opportunity to help make history by introducing each sports fan base to something new. Given the chance to see MMA live, we’re hoping it will cross-pollinate the dem ographics.”

The services of a world-class mixed martial artist fighter have been hired, as popular veteran UFC and Pride fighter Frank Trigg has agreed to headline the Xtreme Cagefighting Federation event. Bland says the two sports are very similar to each other. “How the businesses are structured, the drivers and fighters are independent contractors,” Bland says. “They are independent people who put their lives on the line each time they compete. The difference is drivers work almost every week from February to November. The fighters train for two or three fights a year. NASCAR has been around for 58 years now. It steadily built from a regional business to a worldwide phenomenon.”

Bland believes MMA is in the early stages of a NASCAR-type boom and that the consumers of NASCAR will support the MMA product, if they are exposed to it. “You’re looking at adrenaline junkies,” says Bland. “They want to see something happen – a crash at 200 miles per hour. Or see someone get knocked out.”

If the Xtreme Cagefighting Federation Event in Daytona is a success, Bland has plans to produce two to four more MMA events in conjunction with NASCAR races in 2009, with one show possibly to be held on speedway property. From there, he thinks the NASCAR model can help cultivate MMA into a more powerful and prosperous business entity. “What MMA is missing is the corporate sponsorship side to it,” says Bland. “Racing has captured the sponsorship aspect and relies so much on it. That’s what MMA is not doing yet. They’re not creating the stars, having their athletes cross-branch as spokespeople outside of the MMA arena.”

Appearing with Frank Trigg on the XCF event in Daytona on February 14 will be former UFC fighter Terry Martin, Jesse Taylor, Jeremy May, former NFL player Marcus Jones and Daytona Beach resident Todd Cutler. Tickets are priced from $25 to $100 for cageside seating. More info about the event can be found at www.xcfmma.com.