At the UFC 317 post-event press conference, UFC President Dana White revealed an exciting milestone for the organization’s expanding portfolio of combat sports properties. When discussing the success of International Week, White made comments on UFC BJJ debut.
“It was our first ever BJJ event. It killed it,” White stated emphatically during the press conference. This brief but telling comment signals the UFC’s commitment to diversifying its combat sports offerings and capitalizing on the growing popularity of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as both a competitive sport and a feeder sport to MMA.
A deeper look into UFC BJJ 1’s YouTube engagement uncovers a troubling reliance on artificial signals. Nearly 19% of the 913 comments analyzed match known bot patterns—repetitive, off-topic praise with recycled phrasing and identical grammatical mistakes. Many refer to mundane timestamps, suggesting no real interaction with the actual content. While UFC BJJ 1 boasted 750,000 views in 12 hours, VidIQ data and low concurrent viewer counts cast doubt on the legitimacy of that number.
The pattern continues across social media: follower gains for participants like Mikey Musumeci and Andrew Tackett were modest at best, especially when compared to real grappling milestones like ADCC and CJI events. When paired with UFC BJJ’s exclusive contracts and branding partnerships, this inflated engagement paints a misleading picture of success.
UFC BJJ social media accounts are already going overboard promoting Powerslap.
The timing of this announcement was particularly strategic. White explained that the week represented everything MMA, showcasing the UFC’s various sports properties in one comprehensive event. “We have enough sports properties now where, yeah, we can make a whole week out of it,” he noted, indicating that BJJ has joined Power Slap and traditional UFC events as part of the organization’s expanding empire.
The success of the inaugural BJJ event appears to have exceeded expectations. This success likely positions BJJ as a permanent fixture in the UFC’s event calendar, particularly during major PPV weeks.
The integration of BJJ into the UFC’s portfolio makes strategic sense given the sport’s foundational role in mixed martial arts. Many of the UFC’s biggest stars, including current champions, have extensive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu backgrounds. By hosting dedicated BJJ competitions, the UFC can showcase this critical aspect of MMA while appealing to purist fans of the grappling art.
White’s comments about having “enough sports properties” to fill an entire week of programming indicate that this BJJ expansion is in fact part of the new broadcast deal strategy where UFC is trying to have enough content to split the broadcast rights between two partners
The success of the first BJJ event also opens possibilities for future expansion. White hinted at continued growth, suggesting that next year’s International Week could feature even more innovations. “Who the hell knows what I’ll be into by next year,” he said, indicating that the UFC’s appetite for new combat sports ventures remains strong.
For the UFC, it’s another step in cementing their position as the dominant combat sports promotion globally.
