Could FAME MMA Betting Be the Next Big Thing?
FAME MMA might be the best sport you’ve never heard of. The Polish export attracts fans globally with its brutal action and an ever-changing cast of heroes and villains, including celebrities. Join us as we take a closer look at sport and how you can bet on FAME MMA.
FAME is a newcomer to the mixed martial arts arena. The self-styled ‘freak show fight galas’ began life in the Polish town of Swarzędz, near Poznań, in May 2018. The Poznań region is famous to football fans as the local team Lech Poznań started the craze of the Poznań Celebration in which they celebrate a goal by turning their backs, joining arms and jumping up and down. It is a ritual that has been copied by fans worldwide, especially Manchester City supporters in their 2021 title-winning season.
For fight fans, FAME ticks all the boxes. At its core, it’s simply a mixed martial arts fight, but its unique selling point is many of the fighters who take part are well-known celebrities, YouTube personalities, influencers and rappers.
FAME is also becoming popular with stars from the primary MMA circuits. Marcin Wrzosek, Borys Mankowski, and Norman Parke have participated in FAME events, and many more are expressing an interest in fighting.
Due to the unpredictability of the sport, punters who bet on FAME MMA often see good returns as many of the fighters do not have long track records and are unknown entities to mainstream bookmakers. And although not every operator offers FAME betting, you can bet on FAME MMA at some of the best betting sites in Poland.
Freeks, Geeks and Unique – The Stars of FAME
Any form of fighting is only as good as the stars that take part, and in that respect, FAME compares favourably with other MMA events such as UFC, Bellator and WEC.
One of the biggest stars is Popek, and he is undoubtedly not what you would call mainstream. He’s half rapper, half mixed martial arts fighter and is one of the more colourful characters on the FAME MMA circuit. The Albanian King’s trademark scar was deliberately made to silence the voices in his head telling him to do it. In addition, the 43-year-old has restricted vision in both eyes after deciding to tattoo both his eyeballs. While Popek is a renowned fighter, he has a broader appeal as the founder of dubstep, grime and gangsta rap group Firma which also features Bosski Roman, Tadek, Pomidor and Kali.
Other personalities to watch out for include Unboxall (YouTuber, influencer), Ponczek (bodybuilder, YouTuber & influencer) and Linkimaster (influencer, Instagramer).
FAME MMA Hit the United Kingdom
Over a million Poles call the United Kingdom home, but it was the FAME’s popularity among the British public that enabled the promotors of FAME to take their show on the road, running a one-off event at the Utilita Arena Newcastle on December 14th 2019, called FAME MMA UK 1.
The promoter of FAME MMA UK, Adam Horner, said: “FAME MMA is a hugely exciting event for all involved. We have been very successful in Poland with sell-out events & record PPV and to bring this to UK now makes sense. MMA is bigger than it’s ever been and for such high-profile celebrities to be involved with our show is fantastic”.
MMA now has a wide audience; we aim to make it even wider and open this great sport to all audiences. We expect to see many celebrities in the crowd as well as families and MMA enthusiasts. Seeing your favourite reality TV star or Youtuber fight is exciting and the talent we have can’t wait to get going. Expect huge entertainment in the fights and in the arena”.
Horner’s promise to deliver entertainment didn’t disappoint, and to tailor the experience for the Newcastle audience, the line-up had a distinct British focus.
The main event featured well-known figures in England, Sam Gowland v Marty McKenna, both celebrities on MTV’s reality TV show, Geordie Shore.
Gowland was well-fancied in early FAME MMA betting, and he started the fight brightly in an action-packed first round and almost had McKenna in a chokehold, but the Ex on the Beach star managed to break free. With a minute left of the round, it was McKenna’s turn to go on the offensive, and he took the fight to the ground, trying to get a submit out of his rival before he broke free.
When betting on FAME MMA, many punters choose which round the bout will be won in, and in this match-up, the second round proved decisive as Gowland forced a tap-out from McKenna. The Newcastle born star was forced to the ground and looked exhausted. He was foul-mouthed when getting to his feet, but he was well beaten and can have no complaints. Whereas the victor Gowland appeared happy and stated his desire to fight again in his post-fight interview.
Another fight on the undercard featured Andrew Henderson, the current & five-times World Champion Football Freestyler and the UK Freestyle football champion for eight years running, against Mike Fox, the British YouTube funny man who has over 1.3m subscribers. It was easy money for those backing Henderson when betting on FAME MMA; the bout lasted just 40 seconds with a heavy-looking Henderson outclassed by the footballer.
How Can I Watch FAME 13 and Other Fame MMA Events?
The next FAME MMA Poland event takes place this Saturday, March 26th, and plenty of punters want to bet on FAME MMA 13, which has generated plenty of interest in the event.
The best way to watch FAME MMA 13 is to watch at the stadium, and tickets for this year’s event featuring Nitro Vs Unboxall went on sale a few months back. At the time of writing, they are still available from online retailers such as Going. Tickets are reasonably priced, starting at just 80 ZŁ (£14.41), but expect to pay as much as 1500 ZŁ (£270.15) if you want ringside seats. The entire fight card is as follows;
- Sergiusz Nitrozyniak Górski v Paweł TheUnboxall Smektalski
- Popek v Norman Parke
- Adrian Polak Polanski v Amadeusz Ferrari Roślik [No time limit]
- Piotr Szeliga v Gabriel Arab Al-Sulwi
- Mariusz Hejter Słoński v Rafał Takefun Górniak
- Dawid Malczyński v Paul Ponczek Sikora
- Jakub Japczan Piotrowicz v Robert Pasut
- Patryk Domke v Jakub Kuba Post Postaremczak
- Karolina WayOfBlonde Brzuszczyńska v Marta Linkimaster Linkiewicz
The event will be held at the 13,752-seater Gliwice Arena in Gliwice. If you cannot get to Gliwice personally, you can watch all the action from Fame MMA 13 by subscribing via the website.
You can stream the fight and the undercard, and two subscription models are available.
For 27,99ZŁ, you can order the ‘basic’ stream, which lets you watch all the action in 720p and enjoy unlimited replays of the event for 48 hours. Alternatively, the ‘premium’ package gives you a higher quality 1080p stream and access to the Scoffers & mockers’. You can also replay the whole event for an extra five days. In addition, premium subscribers also gain access to 10, 11, 12 gala and premium materials on playlive.net for seven days.
