Ready-made fight club business plan with calculations. Opening a martial arts club: business idea. Choosing a section location

Many people knew that there was a Fight Club in the city, but where it was, how to get there and what was happening inside could only be found out through word of mouth. This was the case for several years, until a couple of months ago the organization emerged from obscurity and announced itself with a loud opening at a new large area with a cafe, barbershop and massage room.

The Village talked to the head of the club, Sergei Shulgin, about how this place differs from fitness clubs or sports clubs, how dangerous fighting is and why the city needs such a purely male place.

Vitaly Golovanov

Photos

Ilya Bolshakov

Sergey Shulgin

Head of Fight Club

What happened before

The club has existed in various formats for six years. At first, we simply rented a gym on Alekseevskaya from sambo wrestlers once every two weeks. We had a training session, and at the end of it we just fought. At that time I was an ordinary participant, then I became a leader. And so it went on for a year and a half: they met, fought, separated. They paid one hundred rubles per person - they simply chipped in for the hall. Then they asked us from there, because the format was very strange and rigid. And for another year and a half I was looking for a new premises. It took so long because everyone I came to asked me: “What will you do there?” - and I answered: “Fight. There will be blood, but we will clean up after ourselves. Well, maybe we’ll practice a couple of times a week.” Few people were happy with this answer. And everyone was wondering who I was, but I had no sports education, no belt, nothing.

Why is Fight Club needed and why is it better than sections?

It helped me, like many other guys. I used to be a pretty modest boy. I grew up at the Automobile Plant and was usually not the one who hits, but the one who runs away. The club helped me overcome this and believe in myself.

As a student, I studied in the section on hand-to-hand combat, and classmates - just in the Fight Club, they often later walked around with broken noses and arms. At first I thought it was tough and I didn’t need to go there, but in the end I came because something was missing. Athletes often come to us and they say that there is no full contact in the sections, there the coach will stop when necessary, but here everything is like on the street, and the fight ends when someone gives up or when I, as the organizer, stop. At first it was tough: we fought even without gloves, but gradually we began to put on protection and helmets. Now it’s all cultural and civilized.

I used to be a pretty modest boy. I grew up at the Automobile Plant and was usually not the one who hits, but the one who runs away. The club helped me overcome this, believe in myself

Is there a lot of aggression in fights?

We are actively fighting stereotypes about this. We have no aggression. One of the coaches recently noted that those who would never come to regular sports sections come to our club. These include entrepreneurs earning several million a month and specialists different levels, and Ph.D.

If you remove everything and leave only the moment before sparring, everything is precisely for the sake of this second: when a person steps over himself, he is already a winner. There's no need to even fight anymore. If rivals fight, this does not mean that they hate each other. And there is no competitive moment here either: we never had a single hand raised - winner or loser. When the fight takes place, we bring the guys together, they shake hands, say: “Thank you,” and go their separate ways. That's it, they're friends. Maybe there is a slight excitement. But in general, a man comes to just feel like a man. And in such a hall it is much more pleasant and comfortable to feel like a man.

About the formation of the concept

The problem is that there really are no quality clubs of this profile in the city. There are fitness clubs, but that's different. There is not the same atmosphere, the wrong results and the wrong people come for it. Half of the clients go there to sit in the sauna, chat, and “play” sports. But here a person cannot help but work. At first I wanted to open just a normal hall, then I thought, why not add a massage room, a barbershop, and so on. The idea was constantly being refined somehow, put together from little things. The result is a place where a man can meet the full cycle of his needs.

What are your plans for the future?

We have already started holding a Sunday event “Dad Hour” - joint training for fathers and children under supervision sports psychologist. We think this is a great opportunity to strengthen family relationships. We have also already launched Fight Day and plan to add weekly seminars or master classes in each sports area that we represent, open training, viewing fights. By the way, we also conduct corporate team building events and even children’s parties. See what we have come to from fighting in dirty basements!

Most often, finding a fight club is not difficult. I once typed “fight club in Minsk” into a search engine, looked through the reviews, looked for something better and closer to home. I went to a trial training session and after that I didn’t look for anything. Yes, not everywhere there will be the same octagon (an octagonal cage in which fights take place according to the rules mixed martial arts), but the main thing is that there are guys there who love and know how to fight, who are ready to learn something and teach what they themselves can do. It was these guys who taught me the following lessons.

1. There really is no limit to perfection

I came to the fight club when I had already gotten into shape and did not feel any progress in the Street Workout that I loved so much at first. On my first visit, I had one wish: for all this to end as soon as possible. Everyone around me was doing some incredible things that I, in principle, could repeat, but I didn’t understand how I could not get tired of so many repetitions. I was exhausted after the warm-up.

Over time, I observed the same reaction in all newbies. Admiring glances were already falling on me, too. In fight club, at least I got what I came for - progress and improvement. Progress that truly has no boundaries.

2. Wherever you end up, you will have to show your worth and earn respect.

I came there alone. Six months passed before I was able to communicate on equal terms with the best fighters club, with these veterans, whom even in the early days had to be approached with caution. It also took them time to understand what I was capable of, to see the potential in me and to accept me into their “circle”.

No matter where you end up, you will have to position yourself correctly, make yourself treated with respect.

3. Learn to adapt to the situation rather than memorize scripts.

The fact that you are fighting one on one with a professional fighter is already a non-standard situation. At least at first. Fight Club teaches you to find solutions to problems that need to be dealt with faster than they can appear. At the same time, standard schemes and scenarios do not work here: you won’t be able to reach an agreement in the cage, and each new fighter offers you new tactics, to which you have to adapt your own skills.

4. You will have to start over again many times.

New techniques, new opponents, new circumstances, numerous injuries and recovery, weight loss and gain, unfamiliar combat tactics - those are the new things that you encounter during a fight even when it seems that you won’t learn anything new.

5. We are not who we seem.

Really different people come to the fight club. From neat office clerks to sullen freaks. In a fight club, a person discovers those traits of his personality that do not appear in Everyday life. Outwardly evil and frightening “monsters” of fights without rules sometimes turned out to be tactful and courteous people, and frail programmers turned into ruthless warriors before our eyes.

Any soufflé can call itself pumped up.

Tyler Durden, film "Fight Club"

Often guys who have just arrived at the club with big biceps get a good beating from seemingly much less impressive fighters. You look at all this and understand how deceiving appearance can be.

6. Learn to take a punch

Mohammed Ali missed the blows. Mike Tyson missed. Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor missed out. You will miss out too.

And it's not just about the fight. Things can't go smoothly. You will fall, break limbs, lose. This is an essential element of growth. Therefore, learn to take the blow. Are you being beaten and there is no way to stop it? Be patient. Are your friends betraying you? Be patient. Problems at work? Be patient and keep looking for a solution.

7. You are able to change yourself

Fight Club changed me. All my loved ones noticed this. The way of life has changed, the attitude towards people and things, towards food, towards oneself has changed. These changes affected my relationships and success at work. I have changed - and changed for the better. This is the only way to understand that this is truly possible.

I also became more productive. I got involved in all this and could no longer give up. I’ll say more: I’m hooked on it. In addition to contractions, I had to manage to work, I had a personal life and some plans for the future. I had to become more efficient. I simply had no choice.

8. Aim for more

You underestimate yourself too often. I know this because I experienced the same thing. “I’m not fit for this”, “fighting is not for me”, “this opponent is too strong”, “this technique is too difficult” - this will constantly pop up in the mind. The same is true at work, in long-term plans, in personal life. My advice: try it. And when it starts to work out for you, and it definitely will, you will realize that you underestimated yourself in vain.

I'm just like you. I just believed in myself a little more.

9. There is no perfect moment

If I had not realized this, I would not be fighting in the fight club now. Why? Because even now I have school, work, family and “I’m very busy.” There is simply no better time than right now. His existence is nothing more than another illusion.

Joining a fight club is one of those decisions that changes your life once and for all. This happened to me. This happened to many of my friends.

Here I share the lessons I learned from this decision for myself. You may have your own.

How to organize training?

How to organize training, how to prepare for combat skirmishes with enemies, how to create space for the formation of a cohesive group of people who trust each other and act as one team? Surely you have had this question. In this article we will try to answer it.

Let's call the place where people train Fight Club (hereinafter referred to as BC).

1. Goals

BC should help people not only learn to fight, BC should help people first of all learn to organize themselves. What can a bunch of first-class fighters do who are unable to agree among themselves and do the same thing? Yes, such fighters will be cut up in no time by a more organized group. Therefore, the main goal of BC is to form a close-knit group of like-minded people. People in a group need to truly become friends, there needs to be a sense of camaraderie. There are serious life situations in which you can only rely on true friends. So, activists in our movement face such life situations all the time. In addition, it is necessary for everyone to feel their responsibility in the common cause, since without personal initiative neither the BC itself nor other events will be able to take place. Once the person did not come, the second time. And if not just one person, but everyone does this, then what will come of it?

Of course, everyone has their own things to do, but you need to set priorities and find time to at least attend events, not to mention the fact that some events require preparation and you also need to participate in it. It’s worth reminding BC participants about this more often, otherwise most people tend to shift their responsibility onto others.

2. People

Who should I invite to BC?
A serious safety issue arises here. Of course, first of all, these should be your friends, as well as people whom you or your friends know well. It is necessary to explain to everyone from the very beginning that you do not need to bring new people to the bookmaker on your own, that you should always consult with other participants before doing this, and it is advisable that meeting a new person does not take place at the bookmaker itself. In general, in this case, quality is much more important than quantity. Without understanding this, you risk yourself and your comrades.

You don’t want the bonds or the KGB to find out about your bookmaker. Moreover, it must be added that there is no need for a highly specialized BC - only for anarchists, for anti-fascists or only punks or only rappers or only for “ordinary people”. In our case, the determining factor is that a person wants to fight fascism or defend himself from the cops, and not whether you like his clothing style, the music he listens to, etc. But at the same time, of course, a person’s political position is important (the absence of one is also a position). Any representatives of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union and lovers of Lukashenko and others are not needed. A person must understand that the authorities are not against fascism, but rather for it; he should have no illusions about the help of the police and other government agencies.

3rd place

The place for the bookmaker should meet several criteria: firstly, it should be sparsely populated so that no one outside knows about your bookmaker, secondly, it should not be located far from the place of residence of the participants, so that it is convenient for everyone to visit the bookmaker, thirdly, it should be adapted for training, there should be earth or grass, but in no case concrete, the place should be level enough so that instead of training it does not turn out to be a game of king of the hill. Basically best place for BC it is a clearing in a Forest/Park located within the city limits, and it is desirable that there are several clearings so that you can change your location if your clearing is occupied by all kinds of tourists, alcoholics, gopniks and other persons. It’s worth scouting out such a place in advance (before organizing a BC) and asking the participants whether it will be convenient for them to come there. Before the first training session, it is worth meeting in some place nearby and showing the participants the way to the BC venue so that they remember it, and in the future meeting at the very place.

4. Necessary things

For bookmaker you will need boxing gloves and gloves (not combat ones, but training ones for practicing strikes or gloves with slots for fingers). The more of this good there is, the better. At the very least, you need 2 pairs of bandages and 2 pairs of gloves for a single fight. It is also advisable to buy a paw for processing strikes (there are several types - for practicing punches, kicks, or both). You will need a first aid kit, including iodine or brilliant green, bandages, cotton wool, some kind of ointment for bruises and something cold to apply to the bruised areas. You also need water for each workout (take it in bottles from home). You will have to buy some of these things; to do this, at the first meeting, invite all people to chip in money, and some of these things may be found by the BC participants themselves or their acquaintances and friends. It often happens that you have to buy a lot of bandages and gloves for training at once. mass fights It doesn’t work, so you can invite people to create a common fund to buy gloves and other necessary things and contribute money there every month in a small amount.

5.Clothing

It is best to come to the BC in a T-shirt (even better with long sleeves) and sweatpants, but not shorts, as you will quickly rip your knees. There is no need to show off and dress like a punk or skinny; the more inconspicuous you look, the better. No one outside should know about your bookmaker, so it’s better not to arouse suspicion among ordinary people. A bunch of people going to BC or from BC should look like a group of gopniks/athletes.

6.Training

Training should be regular and take place at least 2 times a week. It is worth agreeing in advance on the time of the event so that it is convenient for everyone, or at least for the majority. Best time spending the weekend, since people usually do not work or study at this time. But doing workouts only on weekends is wrong, as regularity is lost, and a person should have one day off for personal matters. Another training session should be in the middle of the week, most likely in the evening, so as not to interfere with people studying or working. During training, single fights and wall-to-wall fights should be practiced, and it is also advisable to separately practice strikes, throws, trips, etc. The fight must continue until one or both participants wish to end it. You need to agree in advance whether you will fight with your feet, elbows and other parts of the body, or only with your hands (with gloves). If fights occur according to the first scenario, then there is a high chance of injury, so the second option is more convenient, although it is less reflective of the real street fight. It is also worth allowing tripping and twisting throws. In general, the fight should ideally last until the moment when one of the participants knocks the other down or breaks him, since this is ideal for a street fight.

7.Important points

Try not to discuss BC on the phone or in crowded places. Explain to everyone that when asked where you got the bruise, the person will answer that he got into a fight with the Gopniks. Explain to everyone that if something happens, there is no need to answer the authorities’ questions. There is no need to meet with the UBOP or KGB officers without receiving a summons from the appropriate places, since according to the laws you are not obliged to do this.

You are not obliged to testify against yourself and your relatives, i.e. are not obliged to tell the authorities anything at all about their activities and the activities of their friends, since these activities are common. Remember and memorize: there is no BC and you don’t know what it is. What should I say finally? Train, comrades! Good must be with fists!

The manual was compiled by one of the anarchists

In 2015, Forbes magazine estimated Ziyavudin Magomedov's fortune at $800 million. He owns the Summa group, which owns 25% of the Novorossiysk commercial sea port, 49.99% of the Fesco transport group, the Transengineering engineering company, the gas producing Yakut fuel and energy company, as well as 50% minus one share of the United Grain Company. In a number of Summa’s assets, for example, in NCSP and in the engineering business, Magomed Magomedov, Ziyavudin’s brother, has a stake.

Eurasia Fight Nights (FN) clearly stands out from the rest of Magomedov’s assets. The businessman became its owner several months ago. The club was founded in 2010 absolute champion world kickboxing Batu Khasikov, vice-president of the Moscow Federation of Mixed Martial Arts MMA Kamil Gadzhiev and captain of the KVN team “RUDN Team” Sangadzhi Tarbaev. Later, the managing director of the Moscow office of the investment bank Goldman Sachs, Sergei Arsenyev, and designer Sergei Shanovich, became co-owners of the club.

What is mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts (English: Mixed Martial Arts, MMA) is a type of martial arts that is a symbiosis of different martial techniques and schools and answers the question that interests many: “If a boxer and a wrestler meet, who will win?”

Fights in MMA are conducted in full contact; fighters can use both striking and wrestling techniques. A standard fight lasts three rounds of five minutes with breaks of one minute, title fight- five rounds. Fights are held in a “cage” - on an 8x8 m area with a fence that does not allow fighters to leave the ring.

On initial stage MMA tournaments were sometimes promoted as “fights without rules,” which was an advertising slogan and not true. According to a 2015 report by the American Association of Ring Physicians (ARP), professional boxing Over the past 25 years, an average of 4.8 athletes per year have died in the ring, in the UFC (the main American MMA organization) - 0.28 athletes per year for 15 years.

Russia recognized mixed martial arts as an official sport in 2012.

What the Fight Nights club was like as a business before the deal with Magomedov is unclear. According to Kamil Gadzhiev, FN’s annual turnover is 350 million rubles. and even before the deal with Magomedov, the business reached self-sufficiency. But it is impossible to verify his words. In the SPARK-Interfax database, the financial indicators of Fight Knights LLC, whose founders are Khasikov and Gadzhiev, in 2013 and 2014 are completely identical: revenue - 9.517 million rubles, net loss - 18.7 million rubles. Other companies associated with Fight Nights through their founders - Fight Knights Jim, Fight Knights Global, Fight Knights Entertainment, Eurasia Sport and Summa Sport - do not publish reports. In addition, most of them were created in 2013-2014.

What exactly Magomedov bought is also unclear: neither Magomedov himself nor his representatives have commented on how the deal was formalized legally. Taking into account previous investments in the club - this is sponsorship of the club’s fighters, assistance in organizing events and advertising - the amount of the transaction amounted to “several tens of millions of dollars,” Kamil Gadzhiev told RBC, whose words were confirmed by Magomedov’s representative.

“Summa” is first in the list of “general partners” on the club’s website. The group, for example, sponsored the opening sports club FN in Makhachkala: Magomedov was personally present at the Fight Nights Dagestan tournament. The businessman himself says that he works out several times a week, often at the Moscow Fight Nights club.

Combat Profits

In addition to the club on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, FN has three more - in Elista, Makhachkala and Bryansk. The Moscow club provides training not only in mixed martial arts, but also in boxing, cross-fit and even yoga and Pilates. In the company’s online store you can order clothes and sports accessories with FN logos and star autographs. But the main business of Fight Nights is organizing mixed martial arts fights: in 2014, FN fighters took part in five fights, in 2015 - in nine (including in St. Petersburg, Sochi and Kaspiysk). Fight Nights also held its own club championship in Moscow.

The club’s main income, according to Gadzhiev, comes from ticket sales, television broadcasts and advertising. Tickets for the final FN event “Battle 20” at Luzhniki on December 11 cost from 1 thousand to 70 thousand rubles. To seats in the stalls at a price of 5 thousand rubles. “two master classes with the champion” were also included. According to Gadzhiev, previous events of this level managed to attract 6-7 thousand spectators, that is, FN will be able to earn about 15-20 million rubles from tickets. But expenses 
 for the organization This will not cover the event - it costs no less than 30 million rubles, admits Gadzhiev.

At the fight between Russian Mikhail Mokhnatkin and Brazilian Ednaldo Oliveira, organized by Fight Nights, on October 23 in St. Petersburg Ice Palace 6 thousand tickets were sold, says Gadzhiev. Revenue from ticket sales is unlikely to cover 30% of total costs, with the rest theoretically covered by television broadcasts and advertising. In addition to broadcasts on Match TV, all top FN fights are broadcast on the Internet for a fee, on a joint broadcast with Ultimate Fighting Championship(UFC) UFC Fight Pass channel - viewing costs average $10 per evening. Match TV does not comment on the conditions under which the channel broadcasts fights.

The world's largest MMA promoter, the American UFC, holds about 40 fights a year not only in North and Latin America, but also in Europe, Australia and the UAE. For spectators, this is not a cheap entertainment: for example, for the Aldo vs. McGregor fight on December 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, at the time of writing this material, tickets could be purchased for $505 to $6,900. At the same time, the UFC cannot boast of high business profitability.

UFC is superior

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a promotion company from the United States, the world's largest organizer of MMA fights. Initially, it was an experimental, one-time championship. But the success of the first tournament in Denver in 1993 inspired businessman Art Davey and Brazilian jiu-jitsu school teacher Rorion Gracie to create their own company. In 2001, the company was acquired for $2 million by the Fertitta brothers, owners of the Station Casinos casino chain. Boxing promoter Dana White (pictured) became the general producer and president of the UFC.

The Fertitta brothers bought and merged most of the world's competitors into the UFC, including Pride Fighting Championships. The annual turnover of Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, is, according to various estimates, from $250 million to $350 million. According to Forbes magazine, this is 90% of all global revenue in the MMA industry.

According to S&P, up to 75% of the company's revenue comes from the sale of television rights. According to the Zuffa report for 2014, the company's revenue amounted to $554 million. According to S&P, the company's EBITDA has been declining since 2010, which is associated with high costs for the acquisition of competitors and foreign activities. Zuffa's debt is about $450 million. At the beginning of 2015, S&P predicted a decline in EBITDA by another 40% and downgraded Zuffa's rating to BB-.

If business is not going very well for the world's largest promoter of mixed martial arts fights, what can Fight Nights, a very small club compared to the UFC, count on? Magomedov’s investment will “contribute to the expansion of FN’s business,” Gadzhiev says. In addition to increasing the level of events and broadcasting, FN wants to focus its main efforts on marketing and audience building. This means more advertising, including outdoor advertising. Gadzhiev believes that “she performs well in the regions.”

But for real commercial success sporting events spectators are needed not only in stadiums, but also at the screens, then the audience becomes of interest to large advertisers, and TV channels are ready to pay for broadcast rights. The UFC's television audience reaches 800 million people a year - you can watch fights not only on TV, but also on the Internet (a monthly subscription costs €7.99). In 2011, the UFC signed a seven-year television deal with Fox Sports. Its amount, according to The Telegraph newspaper, is $700 million.


Ziyavudin Magomedov: “Growing up on the streets of Makhachkala is a sport in itself” (Photo: Yuri Chichikov, Anna Sergeeva for RBC)

Stars and money

In Russia, Match TV began broadcasting top UFC fights in the fall; before that, they were shown by the Rossiya 2 channel. “The UFC format is certainly in demand; MMA has its own steadily growing audience in our country,” says a representative of Match TV. The fight between six-time UFC champion Ronda Rousey and title challenger Holly Holm on November 16 on Match TV was watched by 5.8% of male viewers aged 25-59. “The numbers clearly demonstrated the potential of such a product,” notes a representative of the channel, but he does not want to talk about the possible prospects of broadcasting Fight Nights fights.

FN's main Russian competitor is the promotion company M-1 Global. Its founder and largest co-owner Vadim Finkelshtein said in an interview with RBC that he is not at all sure that broadcasting mixed martial arts on Russian TV is a source of income and not additional costs. According to him, TV channels either do not pay for broadcast rights at all or pay very little. And for spectators, the image of mixed martial arts is blurred, due to the fact that MMA itself in Russia does not have a clear sports structure and almost anyone can open their own federation. “The viewer no longer remembers their heroes and is not ready to pay for viewing,” notes Finkelstein.

But FN believes that world-class events with the participation of Russian athletes will be of interest to both viewers and federal channels. “Ideally, the regions will each root for their fighters; the public there is very open and interested. Yes, advertising will be needed, but these will be our stars,” says Gadzhiev.

It takes an average of three years and $1-2 million to promote one athlete to the level of a media personality that the audience will follow, says Gadzhiev. For a major event there should be at least four such fighters. Tournament grid FN doesn't, so a top event is one or two star-studded headlining fights, a few mid-level fights, and an entertainment show with singers, performers, and dancers. It will be difficult to “beat them off” only by selling broadcast rights, says an analyst at a large agency specializing in sports advertising. “If some federal channel buys this broadcast, then even for a top fight it will cost more than 3 million rubles. no one will pay,” he believes.

Combat Economy

$5 million- UFC record fee, according to Dana White (recipient unknown)

$180 000 — Holly Holm's fee for defeating Ronda Rousey, November 2015

$24 500 — average UFC fighter fee per fight

$50 — the price of a paid subscription to broadcast a top fight

Sources: The Economist, UFC

The only chance to at least recoup the costs of organizing a show is to sell sponsorship and advertising packages. In this sense, MMA has good prospects, says Anton Efimov, managing director of the OMD Fuse advertising agency: “Their main target audience is men who watch them on television, and men with high incomes - this is the core of the audience attending competitions, and this is a stable marketing platform for brands that want to build an association with strength and courage.” Taking this into account, the cost of an advertising package for such a show can be from 10 million rubles. and higher within one evening, Efimov calculates. But there is another problem, he notes: “In martial arts there is no constant schedule, like in football or hockey, and it is very difficult to draw up a map for a partnership, even for a year.”

A representative of another large advertising agency does not even share this modest optimism: “In Russia, even football broadcasts have an audience that is not always large enough to advertise there. And MMA is unlikely to attract serious money.” In his opinion, FN, UFC and other similar organizations do not open their financial statements because this will make it obvious to everyone that “there is no income, there is only turnover.” The only chance for a promoter in this sense is a large sponsorship contract, in which the advertiser will be interested not only in the size of the audience, but also in the image component of the sport itself, adds a representative of the advertising agency.

In 2015, the UFC signed the largest sponsorship contract in its 21-year history: Reebok will pay $70 million over six years for the right to become the official supplier of equipment. This year's list of sponsors includes Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Bud Light beer, Toyo tires, etc. Ideally, Fight Nights should sign such a contract, but for now FN is considering the previous stage of UFC development - the launch of its own reality show.

The Ultimate Fighter show on American TV began in 2005. In the first episodes of the show, 16 fighters from two teams compete with each other, viewers can follow their training and the details of their daily lives. The losers are eliminated, and in the season finale, two fighters fight for the title of The Ultimate Fighter and a major contract in the UFC. The start of the new season in September 2015 was watched by 745 thousand viewers. The show allowed the UFC not only to expand its television audience, but also to change it, said UFC head Dana White: “When we bought this company, our main audience was men from 18 to 34 years old. After the release of The Ultimate Fighter<…>women make up 45% of our viewers.”

“If we really want to gain a critical mass of spectators, our fights should become a family spectacle, including for women,” agrees Gadzhiev. FN does not yet have a specific launch date for the show. A Match TV representative declined to comment on this idea.


Training of fighters from the Moscow club Fight Nights (Photo: Yuri Chichikov, Anna Sergeeva for RBC)

"Images of Heroes"

home Russian star mixed martial artist Fedor Emelianenko was never able to agree on performances in the UFC. But in the American organization there are fighters from Russia, for example Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rustam Khabilov. Training fighters of this level is also a type of income that the co-owners of FN count on.

“We are no longer only a promotion company, but also a base, a kind of sports incubator for top fighters that trains world-class MMA stars,” says Gadzhiev. While FN does not supply fighters to the UFC, the same Minakov, who won the MMA championship belt according to the American version of Bellator, is the first candidate. “In the UFC, our lightweight Ali Bagautinov plays a leading role. I think that in a couple of years, our other athletes, such as Volodya Mineev and Sergey Pavlovich, could perform successfully in the UFC, and they will strive for this,” says Magomedov.

The last Emperor

The most titled Russian mixed martial arts fighter is 39-year-old resident of Stary Oskol, Fedor Emelianenko, nicknamed The last Emperor. 


He holds the titles of four-time MMA heavyweight world champion according to Pride FC, two-time - according to RINGS and according to WAMMA. Attempts to negotiate about Fedor’s performance in the UFC were unsuccessful.

In the summer of 2015, Emelianenko announced his return to the ring after a three-year pause: the first fight will take place on December 31 in Japan, it will be held by the local MMA organization Rizin Fighting Federation. Fedor’s opponent will be 28-year-old Jaideep Singh.

34 Fedor Emelianenko fights

4 victories (ten by knockout, 18 by voluntary surrender)

defeats (three by knockout, one by voluntary surrender)

collapse

Today, sports clubs are not just halls with a variety of exercise equipment; they provide many additional services, for example, halls for martial arts, independent training, and for training other sports programs. The better these services are provided, the more visitors such an institution will have. To open your own successful martial arts club, you first need to think through a business plan. Today, both young people and more mature men are extremely popular. different kinds martial arts Even the female half of society cannot resist this sport. Opening your own martial arts section can subsequently bring in good money, especially in small towns with weak competition. To organize a business in in this direction huge capital investments are not required.

And the business project itself is not only commercial, but also beneficial to the health of society.

Analysis of the situation in the market for the provision of sports services

Most often, this type of business is formed on the basis of educational institutions, when their gyms are rented for training.

Before opening your own business in this area, you need to conduct a thorough analysis of similar institutions already existing in the region, find out their focus, and assess demand. Based on the results of the analysis, it will be possible to determine which types of martial arts are most profitable to provide services for. If you yourself are proficient in any type of martial arts, then the direction of your activity is naturally predetermined. But, if there are no such skills, then, of course, you will have to hire experienced martial arts masters.

  • To select coaches, it is worth making a strict selection process based on the following criteria:
  • First of all, his reputation as a coach.
  • Teaching style.

A special teaching style, qualifications and positive reputation of a trainer are the key to business success in this area!

Demand for sports clubs

The market for sports services: sports clubs, martial arts sections, fitness clubs is in great demand. Despite the huge number already open institutions, the demand for these services in full is currently unsatisfied. Therefore, the sports business is quite in demand and has good payback rates.

Business registration

There is more than one option for registering a sports business. First you need to decide:

  • open your own independent martial arts institution;
  • be part of the sports federation of this sport.

Each of these options has its own advantages. Everything will depend on the purpose of opening a sports section:

  • open your own business to make a profit;
  • The main goal is to promote the chosen type of martial arts and prepare students for large-scale competitions.

If you decide to open an individual sports club, then you need to register the business as an individual entrepreneur or LLC. In this case, it will be possible to make a profit from training legally. Regarding the choice of taxation system, it is recommended to seek detailed advice from an experienced lawyer. In this type of activity, the services of a lawyer may be needed more than once, since sports are always associated with an increased risk of injury to students.

In case of entering sports federation, the composition of a children's and youth sports school can register the business as a non-profit NGO and form a non-profit partnership. In this situation, the state provides established tax benefits.

If you are an individual entrepreneur, you will definitely have to register with the tax authority; if you join a youth sports school or sports federation, you will have to register only with the local justice authorities.

When registering as an individual entrepreneur, the registration period may be limited to five working days. To register a non-profit enterprise, the registration period is up to one month.

Choosing a section location

When choosing premises to open your own martial arts sports club, you need to understand that the prospect of standing in traffic for several hours while getting to training does not suit anyone today. Therefore, the club should be located in a place where it could be quite easily and quickly reached by shuttle bus, metro, etc.

Renting a space in the very center of the city is, of course, very good, but the price is not affordable for everyone. The best option for opening a sports section is a residential area. Here are the most affordable rental prices, plus a constant influx of customers.

When choosing a location, it is also worth considering the availability of parking areas for vehicles, so that the client has the opportunity to park his own car near the sports club.

Advertising

To dial into an organized sports section students, it is necessary, of course, to declare yourself. For a small martial arts club located in a residential area, this type of advertising, such as distributing leaflets, works well. One leaflet will approximately cost up to 2 rubles. The price depends on the leaflet format, the complexity of the sketch, and the circulation.

A simplified version of leaflets are business cards with contact details of a sports club. You can make them yourself at home on a printer using colored paper.

You can distribute business cards and leaflets yourself, or you can hire a specialized advertising agency. In the second case, the cost of services will be about 5 rubles. for one leaflet.

Expense/income

How much does it cost to open your own successful martial arts establishment? The price can be influenced by various factors.

Approximate investment:

  • rental of premises – 60,000 rub.
  • renovation of the premises, equipment - 400,000 rubles.
  • salary of 10 employees - 200,000 rubles.
  • advertising – 100,000 rub.
  • additional expenses - 100,000 rubles.

The total amount is about 900,000 rubles.

Profit from this sports institution will consist of several parts: permanent + temporary.

  • A subscription can be purchased for several months at once - this is a permanent income. The average cost of a monthly subscription is 1,500 rubles. Therefore, in order to receive good profit from this business, you need to attract at least about 100 similar clients every month.
  • Temporary income is when a client visits a sports club several times a month, making one-time payments. One such visit is approximately estimated at 150 rubles.

In total, you can receive up to 200,000 rubles monthly from a small sports club. arrived. Business payback is from 6 months.