Is mma still popular in Japan?

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tomjones

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Japan once had more mma fans than USA. Was it just a Japanese fad like K 1?
 
No, MMA isn't as popular in Japan now as it was during the K-1 and PRIDE boom period, but they still have smaller shows like DEEP, Pancrase, etc. and of course the bigger RIZIN shows, but they don't draw the huge PRIDE or K-1 attendances or TV ratings.
 
Edwinho said:
No, MMA isn't as popular in Japan now as it was during the K-1 and PRIDE boom period, but they still have smaller shows like DEEP, Pancrase, etc. and of course the bigger RIZIN shows, but they don't draw the huge PRIDE or K-1 attendances or TV ratings.
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Is it due to more competition?
 
Not like it used to be but it definitely has an audience. Rizin has had a boom in popularity over the last couple of years and seems more stable now then it was then.
 
SokoudjouFanboy said:
Not like it used to be but it definitely has an audience. Rizin has had a boom in popularity over the last couple of years and seems more stable now then it was then.
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There is no RIZIN boom. They are doing OK TV numbers, but nothing mind blowing.
 
Aren't the JMMA fans in Japan physically bigger than most of the fighters?
 
MMA is dying bro... Celebrity Boxing is the trendy thing now.
 
Edwinho said:
There is no RIZIN boom. They are doing OK TV numbers, but nothing mind blowing.
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Boom might not have been the right word to use but from what I have read the scene is in a healthier spot then it was a few years ago. I'm from the West so admittedly I'm not the most informed on it, though as a fan I try to keep my ear to the ground.

TV numbers are stable and they're branching off onto different platforms. They have stars who people care about and have big individual social media platforms. They get big numbers on their youtube channel. Once borders open up they can do better stuff too.
 
tomjones said:
Japan once had more mma fans than USA. Was it just a Japanese fad like K 1?
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i don't live in Japan so i don't know for sure but it seems like it's always been particular fighters who are popular and not the sport. Tenshin, Asakuras, Rena,

you could say the same for USA though. apparently MMA/boxing is bigger than ever, but take away Conor and Jake Paul and no normies give a shit
 
Just google it and the answer is not really .Baseball , Sumo, and a bunch of other sports are more popular in Japan right now which is a little sad cause they're the best fan base in the world for sports .
 
Quite the opposite, MMA is very much popular. All the orgs have been developing fighters and making a few steps forward since the pandemic.
Edwinho said:
No, the Kakutogi fad is just a thing of the past for the most part.
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Yosuke said:
Quite the opposite, MMA is very much popular. All the orgs have been developing fighters and making a few steps forward since the pandemic.
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Sure, no one is debating that. I even mentioned the regional promotions and such, but it's nowhere near as popular as it was during the Kakutogi boom.
 
Edwinho said:
There is no RIZIN boom. They are doing OK TV numbers, but nothing mind blowing.
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There has been a huge increase in followers on every level for RIZIN since the start of the pandemic. Go look at their YouTube page.

TV ratings are a very limited viewpoint. RIZIN are only on TV 4 times a year, but they run over a dozen shows a year and have heavily branched out into PPV.
 
Judo and Sumo always the main sports in Japan. Then Pro-wrestling and MMA.... though baseball is up there too..
 
David Street said:
Judo and Sumo always the main sports in Japan. Then Pro-wrestling and MMA.... though baseball is up there too..
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Boxing is bigger than pro wrestling and mma and kickboxing
 
Rizin's youtube numbers are fantastic. MMA seems more popular in Japan right now than at any point in the last decade.
 
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