The purpose of the study has been to identify the motivational factors prompting the South African MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fan to attend events and how these factors are influencing their spending patterns and media consumption. With the growing popularity of Africa’s biggest MMA promoter and the production values and size of events, EFC (Extreme Fighting Championship) is taking the African market to a global level. To understand the South African MMA fan, marketers should differentiate strategies to meet these various customers’ satisfaction needs and demands. Media plays a big role in the growing of the sport, and Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and television broadcasts all contribute to fans gaining access to the MMA sport. The following motivational factors were used to measure the MMA fan: Aesthetic quality, Sports interest, Drama/Eustress, Socialising, Vicarious achievement, Fighter interest, Adoration/Hero, Violence, Escape, National Pride and Economic Factors. Participants who attended the local amateur MMA fights in the south of Johannesburg were requested to complete the online web questionnaire to establish the motivational factors of South African MMA fans. Aesthetic quality, Sports interest and Drama/Eustress were ranked as the highest motivators. There were some gender differences where females indicated that they were more interested in the Drama factor and the males in the Sports interest factor. It was clear from the results that most male fans were drawn to MMA by word-ofmouth, clubs or events. The female fans used the internet and television as their media consumption of MMA. Although the study was limited to a local MMA event, insights into the motivation of the South African MMA fan were discovered as well as how media is consumed differently by different genders. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The purpose of the study has been to identify the motivational factors prompting the South African MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fan to attend events and how these factors are influencing their spending patterns and media consumption. With the growing popularity of Africa’s biggest MMA promoter and the production values and size of events, EFC (Extreme Fighting Championship) is taking the African market to a global level. To understand the South African MMA fan, marketers should differentiate strategies to meet these various customers’ satisfaction needs and demands. Media plays a big role in the growing of the sport, and Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and television broadcasts all contribute to fans gaining access to the MMA sport. The following motivational factors were used to measure the MMA fan: Aesthetic quality, Sports interest, Drama/Eustress, Socialising, Vicarious achievement, Fighter interest, Adoration/Hero, Violence, Escape, National Pride and Economic Factors. Participants who attended the local amateur MMA fights in the south of Johannesburg were requested to complete the online web questionnaire to establish the motivational factors of South African MMA fans. Aesthetic quality, Sports interest and Drama/Eustress were ranked as the highest motivators. There were some gender differences where females indicated that they were more interested in the Drama factor and the males in the Sports interest factor. It was clear from the results that most male fans were drawn to MMA by word-ofmouth, clubs or events. The female fans used the internet and television as their media consumption of MMA. Although the study was limited to a local MMA event, insights into the motivation of the South African MMA fan were discovered as well as how media is consumed differently by different genders. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Robert Schaeffer / The sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) was once referred to as a No Holds Barred (NHB) fighting contest, but is now known as cage, extreme, or ultimate fighting. Showcasing athletes from a variety of martial arts backgrounds, a referee stoppage, knockout, or submission is the only way to win. Pushing their minds and bodies to the limits, fighters often engage in hand-to-hand combat inside of a ring or cage in front of a crowd, for anywhere from three to twenty-five minutes. How does one become an MMA fighter? Through a rigorous and complex process of socialization that will be referred to in this work as the ‘spartanization’ process. A mixed methodological approach, primarily qualitative in nature, was used to reveal the rigorous and complex nature of this process. This study’s data collection began with six site visits taking place over the course of six months. Utilizing a convenience sampling method, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 male and 14 female fighters. The interview schedule addressed fighters’ involvement in the spartanization process, their experiences in the gym as well as the cage, and their perceptions as fighters. Male and female participants described the spartanization process and ascribed meaning to it in similar ways. Their motivations for becoming MMA fighters are explained using theories of identity and alienation. Findings demonstrate that the sport of MMA and process of becoming a fighter are both highly gendered. One was neither found to be more nor less gendered than the other, but according to this study’s findings women are more likely to feel the effects of gender at the organizational level than they are a the level of training. Not sure what MMA is? Never heard of the UFC before? Do not worry, the histories of both are provided. By reading this work you will also learn more about the athletes participating in this sport, and discover whether or not you have what it takes to be the next ‘ultimate fighter.’

We aim to develop knowledge of how new technology, in this case social media, can contribute to how sports fans interact with their idols. Therefore our framing of a question is to present how fans experience their contact with mixed martial arts (MMA) & ultimate fighting championship (UFC) through social media platforms. To specify our study, we also have a supplement question with in which way sports fans uses social media.We have chosen to conduct a qualitative study consisting of interviews and data observations of websites, related to the organization UFC, to approach our main question. We have interviewed nine randomly selected people with one common interest - MMA/UFC. With an implant of theories, consisting of social media, fandom and lurking, on the result of the interview and website data, we try to come closer to a conclusion for our intention with this thesis.Our conclusion is that the interviewed fans express that through the usage of social media, they feel like they have come closer to UFC. They have developed a deeper knowledge about the sport, the members and other fans that shares the same interest. Most of our respondents have a lurking attitude towards the social media usage, which means that they are more like observers and soak in the information and media material. They are active in the searching of material related to UFC, but they are not active in the way of contributing with comments, discussions or material.

Scholarly research has analyzed how female athletes use their social media platforms and how they are represented in news media coverage. However, no scholarly literature has specifically looked at Ronda Rousey, an American mixed martial artist. The current study used a quantitative content analysis to examine how Rousey has utilized her Twitter account as well as how local and national newspapers in the United States framed coverage of Rousey between 2014 to 2016. For the tweets, content, referring to pictures that Rousey posted, was the most popular category; the second most prevalent category was promotional, referring to tweets that promoted upcoming events or sponsorships. Rousey mainly used her Twitter to post pictures of herself and promote her personal brand. For the newspaper articles, the most frequently used frames were agency, powerless, and goals and ambitions. Two new frames emerged from the current study – fame, referring to Rousey’s film career, and relations, referring to Rousey’s personal life and relationships. The newspapers were predominantly neutral in their coverage of Rousey throughout the three-year study period. This case study is important because it found that Rousey was framed in a way that differed from previous research. The findings in this study demonstrate that Rousey was not marginalized in newspaper coverage or portrayed in a negative manner, as other female athletes have been in the past. Rather than focusing on her appearance or sexuality, the news coverage highlighted Rousey’s success and athletic achievements.