โSo the answer is, listen, itโs tough, thereโs a lot of competition out there, but I like your chances. And youโve already got a tremendous amount of success.โ
In its early days as a fledgling sport, the UFC strategically chose Vegas as the perfect market to raise its profile. Epstein said it was a prudent move for the NRL to do likewise.
โYouโve got a great sport, youโve got a great product, thatโs the key.โฒ
UFC COO Lawrence Epstein
โAs big as weโve become at UFC, as fast as weโve done it, weโve not been able to do without a platform in Las Vegas for our business,โ Epstein said.
โSo I think No.1, Andy [NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo], you guys are doing the right thing by coming here, using this platform because it is truly second to none if you want to penetrate not just the US level, but the global level.
โItโs just that the events here are bigger, theyโre more special, they get more notoriety.
โThe good news is that in this world that we live in right now, you can be an upstart and you can quickly grow because of the dynamic nature of the way it works today.
โWe got into social media early, in part because we couldnโt get a lot of coverage from traditional media. It was one of those necessities, we just had to.
โWe had to jump in there and do it, and it became a core competency of our company. But itโs also shown us how quickly you can use those platforms for your plans.โ
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At the NRLโs fan fest at Fremont Street on Thursday, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was presented to a crowd of about 10,000 league supporters.
โExcited, rugby is a good sport, tough sport,โ Dvalishvili said on stage. โTheyโre really tough, tough guys. Thatโs right, beautiful sport to watch.โ
The Heraldโs travel expenses to Las Vegas have been partly funded by the NRL.
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