Fighters Only

Sports Awards & Eventsworldmmaawards.com

UK-based private media company founded in 2008 that operates the annual World MMA Awards, a fan-voted Las Vegas gala recognizing excellence in mixed martial arts across fighter, industry, and Hall of Fame categories, alongside the Fighters Only magazine brand.

Company typePrivate
Founded2008
HeadquartersWear, United Kingdom
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Fighters Only does

Fighters Only Ltd is a privately held UK media company, founded in 2008 and headquartered in Newcastle Upon Tyne, that operates the World MMA Awards — the mixed martial arts industry's longest-running annual fan-voted awards ceremony, now in its 17th edition as of 2025. The company's core product is the annual awards gala held in Las Vegas, combined with a digital voting platform at worldmmaawards.com covering categories including Fighter of the Year, Female Fighter of the Year, Breakthrough Fighter of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, and a Hall of Fame inducting legends such as Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Royce Gracie. Surrounding the awards, the company maintains the Fighters Only magazine brand and produces year-round video, photo, and red-carpet content distributed via YouTube, social media, and email through Flodesk.

The underlying technology is a WordPress-based content and voting platform with no disclosed AI/ML, app, API, or proprietary system. The primary business mechanics appear to revolve around event sponsorship, magazine publishing, ticket and hospitality revenue from the Las Vegas gala, and brand partnerships — voting itself is free. The company is privately held by founder Rob Hewitt (credited in industry testimonials) with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or funding rounds; operational contact is partially routed through i2media Group. There are no disclosed acquisitions, subsidiaries, or M&A activity.

Fighters Only serves three constituencies: professional MMA fighters and athletes who are nominated and recognized, MMA fans who drive voting and content engagement, and MMA industry professionals (coaches, trainers, gym operators, referees) honored through industry-specific award categories. Notable endorsements from UFC President Dana White, analysts Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier, and commentator Jon Anik suggest strong standing within the MMA community, though no revenue figures, headcount specifics beyond the 51–100 employee range, or geographic revenue splits are disclosed.

Fighters Only firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Fighters Only
Legal name: Fighters Only Ltd
Website: https://worldmmaawards.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2008
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: UK-based private media company founded in 2008 that operates the annual World MMA Awards, a fan-voted Las Vegas gala recognizing excellence in mixed martial arts across fighter, industry, and Hall of Fame categories, alongside the Fighters Only magazine brand.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Fighters Only industry classification

Industry

Product category: Sports Awards & Events
NAICS: Spectator Sports (71121), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)
akta.pro primary industry: Combat Sports Event Series & Tournament Operators (Grand Prix, leagues) (MPAKAHAI)

Keywords

Mixed martial arts
Sports awards ceremony
Fan voting platform
MMA media publication
Fight sport recognition

Where Fighters Only is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Wear
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

Fighters Only business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Fighters Only product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Fighters Only operates the annual World MMA Awards, an industry awards ceremony recognizing excellence in mixed martial arts. The offering combines an annual live black-tie gala event in Las Vegas with a digital fan-voting website where fans vote across multiple categories (Fighter of the Year, Knockout of the Year, Hall of Fame, etc.). The company also publishes Fighters Only magazine and produces video, red carpet, and behind-the-scenes content around the sport and ceremony.

Product overview

Fighters Only operates the World MMA Awards, an annual awards ceremony recognizing excellence in mixed martial arts. The offering consists of a live awards event combined with a digital voting platform where fans vote for winners across multiple MMA categories. The awards cover fighters, coaches, events, and industry contributors. The digital presence includes the awards website with voting functionality, photo galleries (winners, red carpet, behind the scenes, entertainment, live event), video content, and fighter profiles. Currently in its 17th edition, the awards have been running annually and are presented in Las Vegas. The Hall of Fame recognizes legendary fighters including Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Royce Gracie.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

World MMA Awards Annual awards ceremony recognizing excellence in mixed martial arts, featuring fan-voted categories such as Fighter of the Year, Female Fighter of the Year, Knockout of the Year, Breakthrough Fighter of the Year, and Hall of Fame inductions. Includes online voting functionality, live event coverage, photo galleries, video content, and fighter profiles. Targeted at MMA fans, fighters, and industry professionals.
Fighters Only Magazine UK-based mixed martial arts magazine published by Fighters Only Ltd, covering the MMA industry, fighters, events, and award-related content. Targeted at MMA fans and industry followers.

Companies that use Fighters Only

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Fighters Only technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Fighters Only partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Fighters Only competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

MMA Junkie: Leading MMA news outlet operating under USA Today Sports Network and running its own year-end awards. Directly comparable as an MMA-focused media brand with editorial recognition tied to fan and industry voting.
MMA Fighting: MMA news and analysis site covering fights, fighters, and awards. Comparable to Fighters Only as a dedicated MMA media outlet with comparable audience and editorial focus on fight recognition.
Combat Press: Independent combat sports publication covering MMA, kickboxing, and boxing with year-end awards. Comparable niche combat-sports media brand covering the same pool of fighters and events.
Bloody Elbow: MMA-focused editorial site under the SB Nation network, with awards and reader-voted recognition. Comparable as a niche MMA media brand with fan-engagement-driven editorial output.
Sherdog: Long-standing MMA media and statistics property covering fighters, rankings, and events. Comparable to Fighters Only as a niche MMA media brand competing for the same fan attention and fighter recognition mindshare.

Broad incumbents

UFC (TKO Group Holdings): Largest MMA promotion globally, operating the UFC Hall of Fame and other formal recognition programs. Comparable as an authoritative voice on MMA recognition that competes for the same cultural legitimization function.
PFL (Professional Fighters League): Global MMA promotion running league-format competition and its own season awards. Operates in the same MMA ecosystem as Fighters Only and produces fighters who populate Fighter Only nominees.
ONE Championship: Asia-based MMA and combat sports promotion with its own athlete awards and Hall of Fame recognition. Comparable as a major MMA rights holder generating athletes eligible for World MMA Awards.
ESPN MMA: Mainstream sports media division with dedicated MMA coverage, awards, and broadcast rights. Functions as a broader incumbent adjacent to Fighters Only in MMA recognition and fan voting.

Regional players

IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation): International governing body for amateur MMA running pan-regional championships and recognition programs. Adjacent to Fighters Only as an institutional MMA recognition counterpart with global scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Fighters Only financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Fighters Only leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Fighters Only funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Fighters Only M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fighters Only

What does Fighters Only do?

Is Fighters Only a public or private company?

Fighters Only is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Fighters Only founded?

Fighters Only was founded in 2008. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is Fighters Only based?

Fighters Only is headquartered in Wear, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

Who are Fighters Only's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are MMA Junkie, MMA Fighting, Combat Press, Bloody Elbow and Sherdog. Broad incumbents are UFC (TKO Group Holdings), PFL (Professional Fighters League), ONE Championship and ESPN MMA. IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation) is listed as a regional player.

Does Fighters Only have an API?

No public API is recorded for Fighters Only.

What industry is Fighters Only in?

Fighters Only's product category is Sports Awards & Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAHAI, Combat Sports Event Series & Tournament Operators (Grand Prix, leagues). Its NAICS code is 71121.