16 April 27th–MAy 3rd, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | music | cafe | film | culTuRe | NighT+Day | feaTuRe | NeWs | OPiNiON | feeDBacK | cONTeNTs | has been growing year-over-year since 2001. “All of us on the biggest stage had a hand in growing the sport, especially here in Arizona,” Bader said. “You want to root for the guy coming out of your city, so when there are so many guys coming out of the Valley, you’ll have more fans.” Next Up Out of Phoenix? Like Bader at his age, Marghitas is currently promoted by RUF MMA. Before the August bout that earned him his 1-0 record, Marghitas entered the cage flanked by former UFC champion Benson Henderson, who is also based in Phoenix. Henderson holds the record for most UFC title defenses as a lightweight. Marghitas met Henderson when he was 8 years old at the MMA Lab, a fighting gym located on Bell Road near Interstate 17 in Phoenix. The gym has produced a host of UFC studs over the years, including the top-rated bantamweight O’Malley, with whom Marghitas has trained since 2015. The gym looks unassuming, nestled into a strip mall alongside a thrift store, a pizza joint, and a motel. But the gym’s head coach, John Crouch, says that the fighters who train there “are some of the best guys in the world.” And rightfully so. Crouch explained his philosophy: Every day in the gym is like putting a penny in a piggy bank. Sometimes, it’s a shiny, freshly minted penny. Other times, it’s a black- ened, grungy penny. But ultimately the pennies — or rather the fighters’ effort — are all worth the same, and that wealth builds over time. Marghitas is piling his pennies well, Crouch says. The hungry young fighter tells us he spends as many as six hours a day in the gym, sparring and taking classes. When he gets home, he often jogs and hits the weight room. “I train every single day. I show up every single day,” Marghitas said. “I will do whatever it takes to become the best in the world. And I will become the best in the world.” Marghitas was born in Arizona to immi- grant parents from Romania. His mother was six months pregnant when she won a visa lottery and arrived in Phoenix just in time for the birth of her youngest son. The family “came here with nothing,” Marghitas said. His parents scraped by and opened a small home care business in Phoenix. “They always inspired me to work even harder,” Marghitas said. “My mom and dad had to leave their mom and dad behind, but because of that sacrifice, they can see me go all the way to the top.” His mother wanted to sign him up for dance classes, but Marghitas had other ideas. He started jiu-jitsu classes, which sparked his dream of becoming a UFC champion. During his interview with New Times, Marghitas produces an old photo — an elementary school-aged Marghitas grin- ning next to Henderson with a UFC cham- pionship belt draped across the table. “I didn’t realize at the time that I was choosing the hardest sport in the world,” Marghitas said. “But now, I won’t consider doing anything else. I need this. I need this to live.” Just one fight into his career, Marghitas has already cracked his ribs, sprained his wrist, and hurt his lower back so badly he couldn’t stand up straight. He says that by MMA standards, he’s “basically never been injured.” Marghitas, now 21, doesn’t drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or smoke weed over his dedication to the sport. His second-ever match will come on May 19 at the Showroom at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler. “I want to fight my entire career in Phoenix. Even when I’m done fighting, I’m still planning on living in Phoenix,” Marghitas said. “I love Arizona. I couldn’t imagine living everywhere else.” ‘Best in the World’ According to a recent study from MiddleEasy, a top UFC news website based in Denver, Arizona is currently among the four “most UFC-obsessed states.” Researchers at the outlet analyzed Google search data from 2022 and discov- ered that more than a quarter-million people in the state searched for “UFC,” “UFC news,” and “UFC Fight Night” last year. Not only is Arizona a breeding ground for generational MMA talent, but many firsts in the sport have happened here since the state government set up the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission in 2010. The state hosted the first-ever Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event in 2011 and in 2018 became the first state to allow a UFC player to wear a turban during a fight when Arjan Bhullar did so in Glendale. UFC now rakes in more than $1 billion annually, boasting a 21 percent average annual growth rate since 2005. A decade ago, UFC drew 173,000 viewers. In 2022, that number had increased to 259 million. More than a decade ago, the Phoenix Business Journal correctly predicted that Arizona would become “a hotbed for MMA fighters” and a premier destination for MMA training nationwide. “Phoenix is such a big hotspot. I credit the gyms for the level of talent we have coming out of Phoenix,” said Pitman, the local promoter. “We have world-renowned gyms here like the MMA Lab, which liter- ally started this growth here.” Pitman said that one of the biggest factors in this growth has been the accep- tance of MMA as a sport. While fans of individual fighters still show out for matches, more and more general MMA fans are buying tickets every year. “You see that league support with the Cardinals, the Suns, the Coyotes,” he said. “You have your football fans, your hockey fans. You didn’t used to have an MMA fan.” Because MMA is attracting “actual sports fans” now, rather than fans of indi- viduals, “the fanbase is getting bigger and bigger,” Pitman said. Bader, the heavyweight champion, credits the growth to public education about the sport itself. “People used to think it was a barbaric sport,” he said. “Now, it has become more mainstream.” Bader predicts the level of talent coming out of Phoenix will only continue to climb to unprecedented heights. Growing up in Nevada in the 1990s, he played baseball and football because MMA simply didn’t exist. “Unlike me, these kids have been doing it their whole lives,” Bader said. “They’re going to be so good by the time they’re 20, they’re going to elevate the whole sport. I’m just glad to be gone by that time.” At his gym in Gilbert, Bader said there are more and more young children committing to becoming MMA fighters — with the dream of one day inking a contract with UFC. Sound familiar? “There are so many great UFC fighters here in Phoenix,” Marghitas said. “Honestly, we’re the best in the world.” Fight from p 14 Paul Marghitas training at MMA Lab. Elias Weiss
