Promotion plays a major role in the success of spectator sports. Throughout the day, individuals are regularly exposed to some sort of reminder of the evening’s big game or an upcoming event a few days away. But why hasn’t the World Series of Fighting learned that point? Tonight at World Series of Fighting 18, the promotion’s biggest asset in Marlon Moraes will defend his title for the first time officially when he faces Josh Hill. But in an action-packed weekend of MMA, the WSOF failed miserably to give its champion the promotion he deserves.
Reviewing all of the major outlets that cover mixed martial arts, it is very hard to find a story about Moraes. MMA Junkie features a piece on Moraes more than three-quarters down the main page to go along with banner ads along the side. MMA Fighting has the weigh in videos down just as far, but no articles dedicated to the Brazilian athlete. Sherdog features promotional ads for the upcoming fight and a piece on Josh Hill, Moraes’s opponent, but nothing on the champion himself. No wonder why so few people recognize Moraes as one of the more interesting prospects outside of the UFC.
World Series of Fighting is a struggling organization, and this is yet another reason why. Moraes burst onto the scene for the promotion in 2012. But since then, WSOF matchmakers have not secured an important fight for their champion. Other than bouts with Tyson Nam and Miguel Torres, it is hard to find any big fights on his resume.
That said, Moraes has shown the ability to shine against any bantamweight in the sport. In addition, he doesn’t shy away from the camera. He’s already stated multiple times that he feels he can hang with any 135-pound fighter in the world, so it’s clearly a mistake that the organization is not promoting him as such. The lack of interviews or videos chronicling his preparation for this defense on major outlets shows that the company is truly faltering when it comes to marketing its biggest assets to the viewing public.
It will be interesting to see how long Moraes continues to compete in the WSOF. In 2014 he was re-signed by the organization to what was described as a “multi-fight, multi-year” contract, but none of the details were provided to the public. At only 26 years of age, Moraes could spend a few more years in WSOF if they keep him active and he continues to win. And from a financial standpoint, this current deal is beneficial, but once he reaches his “prime,” expect a change of venue.
Until then, both the champion and the company could use a better promotional campaign. In a weekend that features three cards from major promotions, Marlon Moraes is the only champion defending his title. Unfortunately, his main event bout is also the least-known headliner of the three. This is mostly due to the lack of real push by WSOF for its fighters. Moraes is the latest victim of this, and if things do not change quickly, he could find himself lost in the MMA shuffle.
• Marlon Moraes vs. Josh Hill (BW Championship)
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WSOF 18: Moraes vs. Hill takes place on February 12, 2015 at Edmonton Expo Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think WSOF 18 will be.
