UFC Gyms: Great Idea or Pending Failure?

It is the indisputable way of any successful brand.  Once they have reached a new height at their chosen specialty, they start wondering how they can “branch out”.  After all, you can never make too much money or spread too much awareness of your brand, right?

As a result, we’ve seen such wondrous ideas as the XFL, KISS lunch boxes and the Virtual Boy.  Those things were what could happen when the WWE decided to move into professional football, when a successful rock band decided that kids needed Gene Simmons’ tongue to accompany them to lunch, and Nintendo decided that their record-selling consoles weren’t enough.

Of course, there have been successes when brands branch out, too.  After all, the WWE has expanded their company globally and taken advantage of video games, action figures and even a Saturday morning cartoon to spread the word.  Meanwhile, Nintendo took another chance with the Wii and scored big, and come to think of it, a lot of those KISS lunch boxes did sell.

So, which pile will the newly-revealed UFC Gyms end up in?

For those not in the know, the UFC has made what would appear to be a very savvy decision.  They are taking advantage of their name brand and the recognition that it carries to put their own line of gyms out across North America (and then, the world?).  While they’re starting in California, make no mistake- the UFC never does anything small.  They would not bother with the effort if they didn’t see a successful result.

The premise of these gyms is not to build a legion of talented fighters that will remain loyal to the UFC exclusively.  The goal doesn’t seem to be to train fighters at all.  Instead, the idea is to attract weekend warriors and others who would never be crazy/brave enough to step into the cage to come and train like MMA fighters do.  Well, with the exception of being punched in the face.

You can drag yourself in and flip a tire around, just like you saw Brock Lesnar do.  You can do the latest types of explosive training methods, as you saw Georges St. Pierre do.  There’s even a full-size octagon, though all indications are that it will be used to let customers hit the pads and do other non-contact activities in, not to pit overweight couch potatoes against one another in old-school style tournaments (although that would be awesome).

In deciding to cater to those that would never step into a reputable gym and strap on some pads to spar with other up-and-coming fighters, the UFC is taking this thing in the only direction that they really could.  After all, there are already hundreds of established gyms out there that are chock-full of professional and amateur fighters.  Luring them all away from their respective camps to train in a new gym with new trainers is a difficult proposition.  Also, there isn’t a whole lot of money in it, as many up-and-coming fighters are not in the position financially to pay a whole lot.  If you’re training world champs, sure you’ll make some money, but nobody is leaving Jackson’s or Xtreme Couture to train with nobodies at a UFC Gym.

I have no idea what the membership costs would be, but you can make a lot more money by catering to the people who love the sport and want to get closer to it, but know that they will never realistically be UFC champions and don’t particularly want to spend their free time getting pounded on.  The question is, is it enough money for the UFC to really bother?

It may be.  Other successful gyms, like Gold’s Gym, have struggled to keep their credibility with the hardcore lifters and workout enthusiasts that support them while attracting the ultra-lucrative “casual” crowd, including guys who don’t aspire to bench press 400 pounds, or women who just want to do some cardio kickboxing without being startled by the grunts of a huge man doing squats.  With these gyms, the UFC can capitalize on their current name recognition in a positive way, catering to both the coulda-woulda-shoulda MMA fans and those who just want a good workout in a non-intimidating environment.

Most importantly, if this doesn’t work out, people aren’t going to stop paying UFC pay-per-views or turn the company itself into a punchline.  After a risky investment in the UFC years ago, it seems that those involved are more than happy to take more calculated risks at this point.

E-mail Jon Hartley