Business Ecosystem Co-Evolution: The Ultimate Fighting Championships

SPORT AS A BUSINESS: INTERNATIONAL, PROFESSIONAL AND COMMERCIAL ASPECTS, H. Dolles, S. Soderman, eds., Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke

Posted: 5 Jul 2011

See all articles by Simon Ford

Simon Ford

Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University (SFU)

Clive I.V. Kerr

University of Cambridge - Centre for Technology Management

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the growth and present success of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), a US organization that promotes mixed martial arts (MMA) events and programming. We do through the lens of the business ecosystem, seeking insight by studying the actors and co-evolutionary complex dynamics that operate in this ecosystem. Drawing primarily on online media sources, we observe how the UFC has positioned itself as the premier MMA organization and how its recruitment and retention policy enables it to build its product around highly talented and improving fighters. This policy has created an evolutionary trajectory within the business ecosystem that, in combination with the increase in free-to-air events and sponsorship exposure, has embedded the UFC at the core of the North American MMA ecosystem.

Keywords: business ecosystem, co-evolution, ultimate fighting championships

JEL Classification: O30

Suggested Citation

Ford, Simon and Kerr, Clive I.V., Business Ecosystem Co-Evolution: The Ultimate Fighting Championships. SPORT AS A BUSINESS: INTERNATIONAL, PROFESSIONAL AND COMMERCIAL ASPECTS, H. Dolles, S. Soderman, eds., Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1879188

Simon Ford (Contact Author)

Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University (SFU) ( email )

8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Colombia V5A 1S6
Canada

HOME PAGE: http://https://beedie.sfu.ca/profiles/SimonFord

Clive I.V. Kerr

University of Cambridge - Centre for Technology Management ( email )

Engineering Department
Trumpington Street
Cambridge, CB2 1PZ
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/people/civk2

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