MMA fighting at NASCAR race in Charlotte draws fan interest
CONCORD, N.C. – As the sun pounded down on the Charlotte Motor Speedway midway Saturday afternoon before the evening’s NASCAR All-Star race, mixed martial arts fighters pounded each other in the ring.
Four Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series bouts were held in a ring located near the vehicle entrance to CMS in the track’s Fan Zone. The program was the first of four MMA events scheduled in conjunction with NASCAR races, with others slated for Bristol Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Bellator and NASCAR’s top series are sponsored by Monster Energy, which put together the MMA series at racetracks.
“I think we couldn’t have asked for much more from today,” said Bellator vice president of talent Richard Chou. “The fighters and the crowd were great. This is such a unique experience, with the racing, the fights and everything else there is to do here at the track. It looked like the fans had a blast.”
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More than a thousand fans watched some or all of the bouts, many sitting on a hillside near the ring. Others wandered in and out of the fight area, which was located in one corner of the Fan Zone.
“It’s cool to have this here as an extra,” said Kasey Kahne fan Ricky Callison of Raleigh. “I’ve seen it on TV, but it’s a lot more real in person. Those guys go after each other.”
The crowd seemed to be heavily NASCAR, although there were some MMA T-shirts sprinkled around the ring.
“We’re hoping this can have a crossover effect and have both sides reach a new audience,” Chou said. “Today we saw a lot of NASCAR fans come over and check out what was going on.”
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