Christian Eckerlin is the biggest German MMA star. He is used to sold-out halls in front of thousands of spectators. He will also compete in the main fight at Oktagon 78 in Cologne in front of 20,000 people, but the duel with Ivica Trušček will also be shown on free TV on RTL.
sport.de: Free TV also means: Many new viewers won’t immediately get excited when they see two people fighting in a cage. What other factors can attract the audience? What role do entertainment and characters play?
Christian Eckerlin: I understand that and I also hope that the entire MMA community understands it and continues to educate people. As in any sport, entertainment and interest in the athletes – coupled with performance – are important factors. You can particularly attract people who have little to do with sport by giving them an insight into their own lives. That’s why I started YouTube and the new documentary series “Eckerlin – an MMA family” is also intended to help better understand the sport, but also the people behind it. Of course I also want to offer entertainment – people want to be entertained and with RTL at our side there couldn’t be a better partner.
“Making sport socially acceptable” is a statement you often make. When will this be done? Which yardstick is crucial? Is the goal: everyone knows what MMA is or something else?
Not everyone will become a fan of every sport – but I hope that MMA becomes a fixed term in the German sports world and that people understand that it is a sport like any other in which respect, ambition and sacrifice play an important role. Just like in “real” life.
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Festhalle Frankfurt, Waldstadion, free TV on RTL: Can we think even bigger for MMA in Germany? Or does sport also have a certain capacity limit when it comes to the audience?
The overall picture is crucial – I don’t think an even bigger stadium is necessary, but rather the frequency of visibility – of course also on free TV. The more people who know about the sport and have the opportunity to watch it, the better. What will be crucial is how many interesting athletes grow up and are aware of their responsibility towards the media. But I’m not worried about that – we have great talent growing up in the MMA spirit who aren’t camera shy either. In addition to Raul Lemberanskij and Fedor Duric, there are many others who are coming and whom I personally support.