UP360 Rethinking Sport: M&A in MMA

Richard and Sean head to Dublin for the PFL Europe. It's a brutal world, in and out of the ring. Guests:Sean O'Connell is former professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed and won a title in the Light Heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League. Sean fronts the event and media coverage of PFL Europe.Jon Culligan is Partner at Portas Consulting, the global consultancy dedicated to sport and physical activity. 00:05 From esports to MMA, Copenhagen to Dublin00:51 Meeting the Guests: Sean O'Connell and Jon Culligan00:58 Expectations for the PFL Europe Event01:32 Understanding the World of Mixed Martial Arts02:56 The Influence of Regional Styles in MMA04:52 The Role of PFL in the MMA Landscape05:38 The Media's Coverage of MMA07:02 The Future of PFL and MMA10:34 The Differences Between PFL and UFC18:59 The Life of a Fighter in MMA27:50 The Impact of Self-Promotion in MMA32:12 The Role of Personality in MMA34:00 The Future of MMA: A Global PerspectiveUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.