" I will be able to dream ". Until today, Lucie Bertaud had to go into exile to practice her sport, MMA - mixed martial arts - at a professional level. Now, this former boxing champion will be able to fight in France from September 2020. The Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, confirmed on Friday the legalization of MMA competitions, under the leadership of the French Boxing Federation.
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Delighted by the sporting possibilities that open up to her, Lucie Bertaud remains no less pragmatic. " It's also good for our wallet, because currently we are paid with a slingshot ," she says . We do the most dangerous sport in the world for little girls . ”
Legalizing MMA competitions, however, could be a game-changer. In addition to the expected boom in membership and the opening of a national championship, world leaders will rush into France, the last European country with Norway to resist the MMA wave. First, the powerful American professional league, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), bought in 2016 for 3.6 billion euros by WME-IMG.
World leaders on the lookout
The juggernaut created in 1993 is eyeing France and is now waiting to be able to organize galas there. " They have already reserved Bercy on several occasions while awaiting legalization, this is what is said in the industry ," explains Stéphane Chaufourier, president of the Atch Academy. The UFC is one of the large organizations that will come to settle in France . They may organize two events, which is not a lot. Except that other teams will also come like the Bellator, the second largest organization of MMA behind the UFC. And, it can be huge . ”
According to a parliamentary mission commissioned in 2016 by Manuel Valls, the economic benefits could be extremely interesting for France. New York City is cited as an example: events organized by the UFC would bring $ 100 million in two years to the city through ticketing, tourism and derivatives, say MP Patrick Vignal and Senator Jacques Grosperrin , authors of the parliamentary report. " Of course we will be able to recover profits from these events ," adds Patrick Vignal. From an economic point of view, from the tourism point of view, a whole future is opening up to us .
The performance halls, the Bercy sports center (now AccorHotels Arena) at the head, rub their hands. The UFC has already filled much larger rooms in many countries, whether in the United States, Japan or Brazil. " We will now be able to develop the activity, the number of practitioners will increase and this traffic will benefit the performance halls ," notes Michael Tapiro, founder of the Sports Management School. In 2015, the Cirque d'Hiver defied prohibitions and organized the first MMA gala on French soil. At the time, 1600 people had moved, the room was packed. Proof of the craze for this sport, according to the organizers.
The goose that lays golden eggs?
Stéphane Chaufourier organizes regular pancrace fights, a discipline close to MMA, without the ground strikes. “ We created the 100% fight event in 2005, they are pancake galas. Since then, we have made about 150. We started with small rooms for 200/300 people and now, for larger events, we can bring up to 4000/4500 people . ” He is somewhat apprehensive about the impact of the arrival of the American behemoths on his activity. “ For us, it will be difficult to compete with large organizations. But I remain positive, we are on the ground all the time, so maybe we can work with them! "
" MMA was created to make money ," said Michael Tapiro. It is a sport that highlights sponsorship, which is very visual and very publicized ”. Behind the scenes, the media are also preparing to carve out the lion's share. French viewers can already watch the UFC fights on the pay channel RMC Sport. " MMA is clearly the combat sport that works best ," says a competent source. It has better audiences than English boxing and by far, except for the huge fights .
The acquisition of TV rights will therefore become a real subject. " The cost of buying sports rights will increase for sure ," confirms André de Semlyen, head of the online channel MMA TV. We will be able to broadcast tournaments that will take place in France with our champions. The chain, launched two months ago, already has several thousand regular users ”.
It's a huge market abroad, so we have the impression that it will be the same in France. But boxing, for example, it never really took.
Mohamed TemmarBe careful though, because if MMA seems to be the goose that lays the golden egg in combat sports, it might not pay off equally for everyone. " It's a huge market abroad, so we have the impression that it will be the same in France ," says Mohamed Temmar. But boxing, for example, it never really took ”. The spokesperson for the collective of MMA professionals (CPMMA) is also convinced that it is mainly foreign companies that will benefit: " You must have a big French star so that a promoter can then earn a lot of money ”.
Mohamed Temmar also warns athletes: “ A fighter who starts at the UFC wins 10,000 euros for a tournament, but with the taxes and the salary of his coach, he does not have much left. Most have a job next door, even in the United States . ” He is convinced that the legalization of MMA tomorrow will not allow all combatants to live by it, far from it. It's not Conor McGregor who wants to.