The future of the UFC heavyweight division "just might be" 31-year-old Francis Ngannou if the promotion can market him to "sports fans outside the MMA bubble," according to Trent Reinsmith of FORBES. On Saturday, Ngannou "earned a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic" with a win over Alistair Overeem in the co-headlining bout of UFC 218. Ngannou is 6-0 in the UFC and all six wins "have come by stoppage." In any other sport, a talent like Ngannou "would be a marketing slam dunk, but the UFC has a history of mistakes when it comes to its marketing focus." Not only does the outfit "promote the UFC brand above the fighters, it also attempts to sell fighters as stars before they have proven anything inside the octagon." There are already "some signs the UFC could be heading for a misstep when it comes to Ngannou." UFC could "opt to sell him as some kind of MMA Keyser Soze -- a frightening myth the promotion uses to scare fans and fighters out of their wits." While that line of promotion helps bring in "casual fans," it makes Ngannou a "commodity to be sold for short-term profit over long-term buy in." If the UFC "wants Ngannou to be a 'rock star,'" it "needs to invest in promoting more than the fighter" (FORBES.com, 12/4).
