UWC rule #2-Surround yourself with a balance of good businessmen and MMA contacts. One of the reasons so many MMA promotions fail is because they load their higher ranks with people who knew MMA, but had never seen the inside of a “Business 101” textbook. The UWC is stacked with two types of people-those with business and marketing skills and those with MMA credibility, such as Luke Thomas, Omar Olumee, and consultant John Lewis.
“John actually talked me out of it,” Foran said. “He was a voice of reason saying go small, small, small, and then grow it. Don’t try to go big so quickly. When we first started John helped me with direction and I looked up to him as a mentor with his long time history as fighter, promoter, and trainer to some of the biggest names in MMA, and with that advice I would take my marketing, business skills and sheer determination to grow the UWC.”

UWC rule #3- Showcase a mix of local talent and national names. Local fighters are the meat and potatoes of the UWC, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for bacon bits and steak sauce. The fight cards feature east coast products, but with a mix of young guns from nationally known camps, like Greg Jackson’s MMA, Lloyd Irvin, ATT, FIT NHB, and others. With that model, the UWC fans get to see solid MMA action and an opportunity to see marquee names that they would otherwise have to road trip to the west coast to get a glimpse of. The UWC’s third show also had young fighters from notable gyms on the card who brought their marquee trainers with them. So while Zach Light was fighting in the cage, Rampage Jackson was in his corner.

“We’ve been fortunate that we can have these big names like, Rampage, Shogun, Arlovski, Hermes Franca, Carlos Condit, Urijah Faber, Brandon Vera, and others as our guest at the shows,” says Foran. “We know there has to be a certain balance between entertainment and great fights.”
But the big names are just a means to an end. “Their presence helps us grow awareness and gain exposure for MMA as a sport in the DC area, which is really what we set out to do from the start, while the local talent pool keeps them coming back” said Foran. It’s ingenious marketing and the end result is a loyal fan base and a consistent stage for the mid-Atlantic fighters to get better on. “We want to build our own fighters that rise up through the ranks and become UWC champions. We want to showcase the top local guys and hone their skills before they go off and conquer the rest of the world.”