Cage Fighter interview

Mixed Martial Arts is now becoming a respected sport in its own right. It has been around in the background for many years in the UK with a strong hardcore following. In the last few years we have seen a great change. It has become big business and hit the mainstream. Two of the people who were at the start and are still doing just as much to keep it on the rise are Dave O'Donnell and Andy Geer.

I got a chance to catch up with two of the hardest workingmen in the growing Sport of Mixed Martial Arts. They have been for some time the driving force behind the growing sport of Mixed Martial Arts in the UK. With their Cage Rage show growing into the biggest home grown event in the UK and now with the success of their TV show Cage Fighter, I thought it was time for MAI too see what is next for the dynamic duo!

MAI: You guys have been so busy!

It really is non-stop! We just keep going next idea, next idea and it keeps moving and moving on. Everyone is just working to get the next deal and the next deal. Do you know what I think the secret is? It's simple, we still have the same enthusiasm today as we had when we had nothing and it was waste of money. Our first show in a nightclub was the same as our first night in Wembley arena! We did it then because basically we come from the gyms, we are from a martial arts background we started the shows because of that and it then became a business. The last three years in particular it has turned into a massive business, a multi million pound international business!

MAI: Did it all of a sudden start to grow by itself?

I suppose in a way. But growing by itself is another common misconception. Once we got a couple of shows out of the way we got going. You know we are businessmen as well, our enthusiasm and our passion comes from our gym training spirit.

But we did have a business plan right up to where we are now and beyond as well there is still a plan to continue the growth and we have now gained a third partner who brought in some television contacts and the finance package that would help us.

You have to make an investment in any new business, any new industry takes investment and this is no different from any other business model. So with our third partner we got the backing to get onto Sky Sports, we got the backing to get into Wembley and it grew from there. And once it started we got the money to bring over the international stars backer

We have many different synopses for the show. Many different shows, I could put it on paper now that Andy wrote the Ultimate Fighter and all of a sudden it's the next big thing. We definitely had the idea of 16 fighters in a house etc but are wiser now and it's all contacts first now.

Cage fighter was a concept that became 120 shows and we are now in the second series. We are going to do 180 by the time we are finished!

MAI: You guys have been going out worldwide now

The curious thing is that British brand; the U.K. is still our smallest market. We sell in so many countries around the world, we have a huge deal in Brazil, we have pay for view in countries like Korea, Malaysia, Canada, free television in North America, we are all over Europe and we have agents all around the world that are selling this for us.

Cage Rage has got the highest audience of any of the MMA shows outside of Japan. The Japanese shows, they are mad over there with 30 million viewers on a Monday night. The USA because its pay for view, the figures are way down a million or 2 million but sold around the world. People in Britain do not realise what a big brand it is now.

MAI: Has the UFC developments impacted your shows?

The UFC coming over here now hasn't made any difference to us one way or the other; we believe we got a different style to UFC. We believe our fights are more entertaining, they tend to be more stand up, and we use a lot of the stand up and Brazilian styles. Where the UFC is all about Hollywood we are all about putting a good show and giving our fans a good time.

We just carry on building the brand and we moving forward with it.

MAI: Your guys have brought a lot the UK Mixed Martial Arts Scene. Your personalities have played big part in the set up of your shows is that something that just happened?

We are both at home in television. I was a dancer, Andy was a singer and you're got to bring a bit of that, it's not just about fighting. There are thousands of people in the world who fight, like boxers, but you've got to bring out the entertainment. When you fight its real, but before you get in there you have got to be a superstar, you have got to become a superstar because that's what they want to see. We can get them on TV; they will become famous people that others will want to see. They don't want humdrum. We have to bring out the characters of the fighters.

They feel if they can do it we can do it. And it has worked you know, there are a lot of great interviews. Also something that helps is we don't cut people if they loose a fight, we will continue booking as long as they give a good show of themselves. Obviously if they can never win a fight we will have to look at it again but our guys go in there knowing they will see their contract through, they know what they are going to earn in a year, win or lose, it makes them more exciting fights.

People fight safe you can imagine if your whole career is on that fight, are you going to take a risk? Some great fighters, end up being too cautious and then you get three rounds of circling each other. I understand why it happens. Our guys don't have to worry about that, they go in, and I mean its full contact, 100% full contact. The guys don't worry about losing their contract and that's what makes them more exciting. Everybody enjoys it, the fighters and its better for the fans. You get to see guys really go for it! The other little secret is that when we got it to this we didn't need the money and so we were able to do it with passion. Its just about putting on these fantastic shows!

MAI: What's the next step?

We haven't decided yet. The next step is there is going to be a major feature film.

It's got to be a gangster movie, a good old-fashioned British gangster movie. It's already got international distribution agreed and its already got pre sales in countries around the world. A Hollywood name and us as well, two well fit looking baldies! Also we have got documentaries made about us at the moment, a second series of Cage Fighter and we have just sold in some thing like 40 different territories, 40 new territories so the brand is growing.

What makes me laugh is we are such big fans of the sport, we have big names in the sport come over to us and say stuff like 'guys I just wanted to meet you, I watch you all the time on television, I am so pleased to meet you' and we are just star struck for crying out loud. For us that is just so nice.

There are some good guys coming through we get to see these guys in the gym, it wasn't unusual when we first started to see these guys, if someone wanted to get on the show, to come down to the gym and fight, so we could judge their level.

All such nice guys themselves when they realise they are not working for a big corporation if you know what I'm saying. We have got an office full of staff but at the end of the day we are control freaks basically, let's face it. We see other shows and the promoters sitting down with their guests drinking champagne, I'm like we are like two stressed, sweaty, tired people because we've been working for like four days non stop - we sit in, we run the promos, we are executive producers for SKY, we do all of that, we produce the show live, we present, we put everything together, we give the production talks, we tell everybody, we choose every camera angle, we approve every light that goes up and we make sure we know where everybody is going to be standing at any one time and its really hard work.

We look after our fighters. The crew we have for are shows our the same guys from the first show, they where a volunteer group, when none of us knew what the hell we were doing and we kind of made it up as we went along. From the MC to the runners to the people putting the cage up and they are still there today and I'd like to say a big thanks to them.

With all these interviews for magazines and things the better you guys do the better we do. You know they are not making fortunes either, we know what its like in this industry and its like everybody that is a fan who is supporting buying a ticket to the show, buying the magazines and so on and so on. This is what helps us, this is what they do in America, and people come up with the money that's why it's such a huge thing to be brought over here. Its what they do in Japan, 50,000 people will come out on a Wednesday night, to fight night and you know what everybody buys a programme a T-Shirt, because you know we wouldn't take any more money out of it, or any money out of it, its just about building these brands so if the brands get the mags, the shows, BBC, it will grow.

MAI: Thanks Guys, great to catch up at last.

Thank you Alan and Thank you to MAI and the fans. You guys make the sport what it is!

Go to www.cagerage.tv for the latest news and updates.

Alan Orr is a disciple of Robert Chu Sifu and the European representative of the Chu Sau Lei Wing Chun system.

Teacher of Tui Na Chinese Massage Therapy

www.alanorr.com
www.thechinesemedicineacademy.co.uk
www.warriorfunctionaltraining.com

For further information Tel: 07958 908 196 or email: info@alanorr.co.uk