Inside the Fight League That’s Turning Creators Into Broadcasters

For GLORY CEO Marshall Zelaznik, creators aren’t simply ambassadors — they’re the lifeblood of his firm’s progress technique.

“The Kai Cenats of the world have this unimaginable machine that generates curiosity and viewership,” he says. “They’re the brand new linear TV networks for rising a fan base.”

Because the world’s premier kickboxing group, GLORY embraces this evolution head-on, borrowing from the cultural playbook that made gaming, creator boxing and Twitch-style engagement explode, whereas anchoring it in elite competitors and high-end manufacturing.

The result’s a contemporary format that blends top-tier fight sports activities with platform-first storytelling, always-on content material and the community-driven power of the web’s favourite creator occasions.

“We are the first group that is taken our core merchandise to those platforms,” Zelaznik says.

One of many largest items of GLORY’s new push is a partnership with Betr, the sports activities media and gaming firm co-founded by Jake Paul. Zelaznik’s background impressed the deal in eSports, the place he as soon as led enterprise improvement and content material at Blizzard.

“Avid gamers, streamers and creators are all the time searching for content material that’ll really matter to their followers,” he says. “Our pitch to Betr was fairly easy: we have got compelling stuff.”

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Creators’ experiences with their communities

His purpose is to make it as straightforward as potential for creators to plug into the expertise and share it with their communities — what he calls “spoon-feeding” them content material.

“Whereas others would possibly invite a creator to take a look at what they’re doing, we’re bringing the entire thing on to them,” he says. “We’re actually embracing the creator neighborhood in a approach nobody else has.”

That concept manifests in GLORY Underground, a brand new creator-forward combat sequence launched in Miami on Might 1st. The primary occasion was invite-only, with Welterweight champ Chico Kwasi defending his belt in a rematch towards Light-weight champ Tyjani “The Wonderboy” Beztati.

“It’ll really feel very unique,” Zelaznik says. “Like combat membership meets the precise membership.”

To be clear, you will not see creators moving into the ring in Paul Brothers vogue. Whereas Zelaznik is open to leveraging the creator economic system to develop the game, he is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the core product — delivering high-quality fights that includes world-class skilled athletes.

“Between the bells in the beginning and finish of the combat, this will likely be an actual combat. There will likely be no shenanigans,” he says. “In the course of the walkout, the choice, or between rounds — positive, we’ll have some leisure — however every part contained in the ropes will likely be pure.”

That steadiness will likely be evident within the occasion’s nightclub-style environment and trendy manufacturing, designed extra for cell viewers than conventional TV audiences.

It is a daring transfer for a corporation trying to develop its viewers to launch an unique occasion sequence, particularly in sports activities, the place ticket gross sales reign supreme. Airing that occasion free of charge is much more daring. There was a time when an organization like GLORY would’ve jumped on the probability to present away media rights to a community like ABC or ESPN — possibly even paid for the airtime.

However Zelanzik is betting on a unique mannequin. He is all-in on democratized distribution. GLORY’s major platform will likely be YouTube, and creators should not solely welcome however inspired to co-stream fights — a tactic pulled straight from the eSports playbook.

“As a substitute of claiming ‘this is the appointment viewing, go watch it on ESPN,’ we’re ensuring everybody with a telephone can watch,” he says.

Whereas this technique would possibly assist develop the viewers, it additionally leaves cash on the desk, as Zelaznik is nicely conscious.

“We’re not going to be working round with our pockets overflowing after this occasion,” he admits.

However given time, he believes the sequence will domesticate a devoted fandom, create a platform for fighters to boost their profile, and finally, generate income.

“We’re investing within the product proper now,” Zelaznik says, “however over time sponsorship will develop and that can make up for it.”

GLORY additionally advantages from a powerful worldwide basis, giving the corporate extra flexibility to take monetary dangers.

“The success that we now have in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan — the income we generate there from tickets, sponsorships, media rights — all of that offers us the runway to make these sorts of investments,” Zelaznik says.

It is primarily the inverse of his time on the UFC, the place the corporate had a dominant presence within the U.S. however confronted challenges increasing abroad. Whereas the UFC is now a worldwide powerhouse, Zelaznik carries the expertise — and the scars — from when that wasn’t the case.

“The success within the U.S. gave Dana the arrogance to take a position globally and begin constructing worldwide places of work,” he says. “So whereas UFC went from the U.S. to worldwide, we’re going from Europe to the U.S.”

GLORY simply re-entered the US area after a hiatus, however Zelaznik is assured within the firm’s modern method.

“The important thing for us on the enterprise facet — past simply constructing followers—is that we’re doing one thing distinctive by bridging conventional sports activities with new media and influencers,” he says. “We’re embracing the creator neighborhood in a approach nobody else has.”