Bright Lights in Sweden’s Dark November

High-Speed Fanboys

If the Internet was responsible for keeping MMA alive in the “dark days” of the sport, Sweden has a major leg-up, with blazing Internet speeds among the fastest in the world, averaging well over twice the speed as U.S. connections.

Despite a reputation for being law-abiding citizens, Swedes are true keyboard warriors when it comes to file-sharing and Internet piracy. Last year, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimated that about 3 million Swedes download unauthorized music, games and movies, roughly a third of the whole nation.

Fast Internet connections and techno-friendly youth have made access and distribution of copyrighted material, such as videos and music, an every-day activity. With the government slow to crackdown on pirate activity, Sweden has been a safe-haven for downloading and sharing peer-to-peer. On the legal front, Sweden benefits from young entrepreneurs creating such respectable companies as Skype and Spotify, and on the less corporate side, the country is also on the map for The Pirate Bay, a leading compiler to links to copyrighted film and music torrents files for download.

A sizeable share of MMA fans have some kind of collection -- both legal and illegal -- but follow the average Swedish MMA fan home after an event and you’ll find theirs’ on a hard drive housing a comprehensive set of events.

IKEA-Size Successes

MMA is becoming visible in Sweden. UFC events can be viewed live on the premium station Canal+ Sports. This is the same channel that you will find the likes of ATP and WTA tennis and NBA Basketball. UFC events, as well as “The Ultimate Fighter,” are shown a week later on TV4 Sport, who have been airing MMA since 2006, and also broadcast The Zone FC, Superior Challenge and Vision Fighting Championships. However, MMA is not shown until after 9 p.m., to avoid times that young children may be watching.

What is surprising is how quickly regional promotions have cemented themselves in the country. In 2008, The Zone Fighting Championship, Superior Challenge, and K-1-affiliated Rumble of the Kings were the first promotions on the newly sanctioned scene. Each promotion has packed concert venues with enthusiastic spectators two or three times a year since their inception.

Last month’s Superior Challenge, promoted as “The Greatest MMA Event of Scandinavia,” pitted Sweden’s elite against strong international talent. The card included prominent Swedish fighters such as Bielkheden, Aziz, Madadi, and Toreng. Notable fighters from abroad included former Dream lightweight champion Joachim Hansen, one-time UFC title challenger Thales Leites and Pride veteran Daniel Acacio.

Fan response to the card was immense, prompting a move from Fryhuset, a small concert arena with a capacity of 2400 that hosted the first five Superior Challenge cards, to Stockholm’s Hovet, which can hold roughly 9000 spectators for concerts.

“I got shivers down my spine. There are more people here now than when AIK [a local Swedish Elite League team] plays hockey,” said fighter Magnus Cedenblad after his win over Allan Love.

Superior Challenge promoter Babak Aghavali wasn’t able to enjoy his own event, as he hustled around backstage, ensuring the show went smoothly. But, he was able bask in a measure of success when he saw the television broadcast on TV4 Sport.


“Looking at Joachim Hansen on the screen, for a second, I thought I was watching Pride,” Aghavali laughs. For Aghavali -- a fan inside, too -- having one of his personal favorite fighters in Hansen fighting for his show was otherworldly.

“He (Aghavali) is doing a great job trying to make entertaining fights for the audience and getting good name opponents for the fighters so that they have a chance to make a name for themselves,” says Swedish veteran Diego Gonzalez.

An Octagon around Tre Kronor?

“We could easily be in Sweden or Denmark. There are some regulatory issues in Sweden that need to get worked out, but it’s been a good TV market for us and it’s on our radar,” said UFC U.K. president Marshall Zelaznik in February. Back in 2008, Zaleznik first put Sweden on UFC target list by announcing, “We’re looking at Italy, Sweden, Australia and the Philippines.”

One factor that may influence such a decision could be the success of 23-year-old Gustaffson. Coming off a dazzling performance against veteran Cyrille Diabate at UFC 120 in October, “The Mauler” now holds a 2-1 record in the UFC, his lone loss coming to blue-chipper Phil Davis. Gustafsson himself may have a bright future in the historically star-laden 205-pound division. Having a torchbearer for Swedish MMA in the UFC could be formative, as the sport tries to sneak into the sports pages of national newspapers and mainstream television.

Other prospects stand on the cusp of possible UFC deals. Lightweight Madadi, winner of 10 of his last 11 bouts, has beat Zuffa veterans Junie Allen Browning and Carlo Prater in back-to-back bouts. Meanwhile, middleweight Papy Abedi, is rocketing up the European scene, stopping seven of eight opponent in his unbeaten career. He is now in negotiations with the UFC.

“I think this is just the beginning. More and more people are getting in to it now that they are showing a lot of MMA on television. I think if the UFC came here they would have a sold out event,” opines Gonzales.

Hosting a UFC event may be seen as some ultimate milestone of success, but the Swedish MMA community is focused only on doing its part to positively place the sport in the national consciousness.

“I pray to God every day that my next fight is in the Octagon,” states Madadi, whose day in that cage might not be that far away.

Just Right?

“Lagom” is a unique Swedish word. There’s no direct English translation. Roughly, it means “just right.” Pour enough cream in your coffee to make it the perfect temperature; that’s “lagom.”

With two major fight cards on the same night, in a country where MMA was nearly outlawed just a few short years ago, I think it’s fair to say that the temperature of MMA in Sweden is lagom, November or not.