So we’ve all heard the phrase, “Anything you can do I can do better.” Well not only can Calvin Ayre, Bodog founder and online gaming pioneer, utter that phrase he can coin his own “Anything you can do, I’ve already done it!”

A lot of focus has been on the recent marriage of UFC and PRIDE fighting, but BodogFight is most certainly another game in town and is now ranked the number two brand as a result of this merger between UFC and PRIDE…and if history repeats itself like they say, something tells me Mr. Ayre isn’t going to stay number 2 for much longer!
 

In an interview with the Bodog founder, Calvin Ayre spoke about his perspective on the new nuptials:

“I like UFC and I only hear good things about Pride.  Both have done a lot for Mixed Fighting, which is good for everyone in the sport.  I also like the fact that they have merged and made BodogFight the only other serious global player ensuring that no article about Mixed Fighting is complete without getting BodogFights perspective.”

I couldn’t have said it better, Calvin is used to winning, but in this case everyone wins!

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is the fastest growing sport in the world, and one fact is ringing louder and louder with every passing major event. Whether its in the hearts and minds of the countless fans that only continue in growing numbers or in the athletes themselves involved in this meticulous process of endless training and dedication.

In an interview with Kevin “The Monster” Randleman he explained that with accurate training consisting of lifting, running and yoga your body can learn to obsorb the kicks and prepare for some of the stresses you encounter in the ring. And like any other sport, or lesson in life, there are no shortcuts to success, if it seems to easy then something is probably wrong, in the world of MMA you can never stop learning. Each match is a game of strategy and fighters are always going to face opponents that are skilled in one area that they are not, the goal is to study each opponents and learn as much about each of the different types of martial arts.

The learning never stops, and between that and workouts often totalling 6-8 hours a day, regardless of win or lose you have to reward the tremendous effort put forth by each of these athletes. And in the world of MMA, there is no predictability, Anything can happen and that fact alone keeps the athletes motivated and the fans coming back for more.

Calvin Aye flanked by celebrity friends

Marketing also has its contribution to this equation of why MMA is so successful, the UFC and president Dana White have done an incredible job promoting it to main stream instead of it being a blood sport “human cockfighting” it was once perceived to be.

The Fertitta brothers along with Prez White are doing their best to turn this into a worldwide phenomenon, a sport that’s popular in all countries…They started off with a fight in the U.K. and they plan to expand to Ireland, Spain, Italy and Germany. Vegas will always be the entertainment capitol, especially when it comes to “new boxing” but the whole idea is to move the show around challenging themselves to grow the sport globally.

“This is great for BodogFight exposure wise.” Claims Calvin Ayre, adding “Bodog has been producing events outside the US for a long time now and its nice to see our competitors following us in this direction.  We also think that our exciting TV show style is impacting the way our competitors present their product so we think we are having a major effect on the business of Mixed Fighting.”

Ayre during shooting for his poker reality series


MMA crosses all cultural boundaries, ethnicities and languages. UFC is the largest pay-per-view provider in the world in 2006, it generated more tax revenue for the state of Nevada than any boxing promoter, had a bigger economic impact on the state of Nevada than any boxing promoter and now that this is a global expansion. But don’t forget about BodogFight, which has the biggest distributed Mixed Fighting TV show in the US market reaching 93 Million homes and have or are working on deals world wide. Calvin says, “We look forward to a long career promoting the exciting sport of Mixed Fighting.” I don’t think im the only one who would disagree that #2 aint half bad!

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Destiney Bleu Lewis, Sports911.com

Originally published April 27, 2007 10:55 pm ET