Global MMA market: MENA equals Europe

Manama : Middle East and North Africa equals European Union to emerge as the fastest growing regions in the global mixed martial arts market.

The surge in growth was contributed due to the emerging popularity of the sport alongside the rise of mixed martial arts promotions, television and entertainment content.

Brave based in Bahrain emerges as the top market player in the Middle East. Brave Combat Federation had hosted eight events globally broadcasting across 5 continents and 84 nations during 2017. The intense operations by Brave was pivotal in influencing and reorganising the Gulf Cooperation council, North Africa and Indian sub-continent as a viable market for the combat sports based industry.

Middle and North Africa region (MENA) showed the same growth rate as Europe and are poised to be the fastest growing regions registering a high compound annual growth rate of 4.7%.

The sport has also received a wider market share in the fitness industry. There had been a steady rise in popularity of the sport, increasing number of MMA tournaments and inclusion of MMA equipment in fitness programmes. Also the presence in action films and video games have increased popularity and market share for the sport. This factors triggered the growth of the mixed martial arts based entertainment and equipment market. The global mixed martial arts equipment market is anticipated to show a value of about US$ 565 million and is expected to grow at a moderate compound annual growth rate during the period of forecast of 2017 to 2022.