On August 27th, 2011, the Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation championed years of efforts inproducing a government-partnered Mixed Martial Arts fighting promotion in China with their first successful event, RUFF: Genesis. They secured fighters from notable teams and organizations such as UMAC, Xian Sports University, Brave FC and China Top Team and sponsorship from heavyweight brands Nike and Ducati. RUFF proclaimed it was the first “government sanctioned” MMA event in China.
Wanting to know more about this aggressive start-up, I spoke with Co-founder Joel Resnick about how this fledgling MMA promotion is impacting the sport in China. We also discuss the trials of launching such a promotion in China, RUFF’s goals, and the future of MMA in China.
LL: Firstof all, congratulations on concluding your inaugural MMA promotion. I understand you’ve been working on this project for almost three years.
JR: It’s actually been 4 years since we first came up with the idea for RUFF.
LL: Four years, there must have been some huge obstacles to overcome for it to take that long for RUFF: Genesis to finally be realized.
JR: Honestly, given that what we’re doing with MMA in China has never been done before, there have been, and there will continue to be obstacles along the way. We remain undeterred and are optimistic about the future of RUFF and MMA in China.
LL: Can you tell me specifically about the most recent delay? I remember when you held a press conference at the beginning of the year and expected a March show. This got the MMA community in Asia very eager for your promotion.
JR: In the case of the delay from March to August, we just needed the extra time to put on an MMA event that would live up to the high standards that we’ve set for RUFF, and ultimately, our patience, and the patience of Chinese MMA fans, was met with a first-rate event with some of the best fights I’ve seen.
LL: Given that so many people are interested in business in China right now, can you tell us why the process was so long and complicated?
JR: Any time you’re doing something for the first time, there are inevitably going to be surprises that arise out of nowhere, and what we are doing with RUFF is unprecedented; no one has ever started a nationally-affiliated MMA organization like RUFF, where we’re partnering with the government to eventually award the first-ever MMA National Championship Belts.
LL: China nationally-recognized MMA belts, that’s indeed a huge accomplishment! What is the main government organization you are working with to accomplish this?
JR: We have partnered with the Wushu Administrative Center of the General Administration of Sport of China.
Here is the introduction to this interview:
