When the most important day of your professional life approaches, everyone is nervous, but in the case of David BalarezoThese nerves translate into fatigue, but above all into guarantees of success. The founder and CEO of WOW The Way of the Warriorwhich will experience its 15th edition this Saturday in the Vistalegre Palace of Madridattends OKDIARIO on the threshold of what for many, without having taken place, already describes it as the best mixed martial arts evening in the history of Spain at the level of the professionalization of the UFC.
You will now benefit from the financial and personal support of Ilia Topuria as a new shareholder of WOW and who is the brand new Spanish world champion in the featherweight category of the category UFC. Balarezo and he believe that fighters are one step away from having global visibility by belonging to WOW and that they will no longer have to take the step towards the American company to earn a living.
QUESTION: We see him fully dressed. He is now ready for Saturday’s meeting in Vistalegre.
ANSWER: Well, it’s not a surprise to come here to what I consider my home. At OKDIARIO, you have always welcomed me with open arms. Well, we are already in full work for Saturday.
Q: First of all, I wanted to thank you for your efforts in coming so soon after the show started. In fact, he told us before the interview that he had been sleeping very little these last few days.
A: The truth is that the events are always intense. And I tell the fighters that in the end, this is for everyone, not just those who fight, who have to lose weight and make a series of physical and mental efforts and sacrifices as well. But for the entire WOW organization team, who have to work tirelessly to make sure everything is set up in the best possible way down to the smallest detail.
Q: And if we were to put nervousness and fatigue on a scale, which side would you lean towards more right now?
A: It definitely made me tired. Experience is a degree and I have a lot of confidence in the work I have behind me. I have a lot of confidence in the team I have and I believe that experience is a degree and puts us in a very good situation to continue doing what we do best, which is creating stars, producing events… but fatigue cannot be hidden, so easily.
Q: So there are no nerves.
A: I prefer to speak from experience, which already has 15 editions, several years with WOW in Spain, killing each edition and I focus my nerves more on a question of expectation, which has generated a lot around this edition here in Madrid, again in Vistalegre.
Q: There are always things to improve.
A: Yes, without a doubt. Every edition has its handicap. Always. And there is the surprise factor. We can’t control everything. Every event, every little act that you see next to the WOW has had a lot of things happening behind the scenes, a lot of anecdotes and unforeseen events. But as I always say, you have to fight inside and outside the cage. Just like in combat, events happen that have to be reversed and resolved.
Q: For a person who is founding a company, seeing the differences compared to the past in certain situations such as a press conference or the event itself, the increase in the number of people, fans, even media who attended this edition number 15 must be spectacular.
A: We knew this moment was coming. A few years ago, when I started the project, people thought I was crazy or that it was totally underground and in a short but intense period of only four and a half years, the transformation has been brutal. Let’s say that the perfect storm has occurred at a national and international level, with the expansion of the UFC, with a local champion, with our work, with that of the gyms, of the athletes, the perfect storm has occurred for us to be in the moment in which we find ourselves, is that MMA is living a brilliant moment. And of course, we, who have rowed so much and I who fight specifically for this goal, for this project that, as I was asked yesterday, four years ago I was with a pen and paper and today we put thousands of people in the events. What more can I say?
Q: Also in terms of sponsorships, television broadcasts… It must be incredible, right?
A: This is a new step, breaking a new barrier and continuing to grow. To broadcast the entire night from the beginning, from the prelims to the main card, is something historic. It helps bring the sport closer to more people and not only allows for a wider audience, but you also enhance the platform on which many of our stars and many of our athletes develop their careers. I haveWe’ve been working for so long to give them this window to shine in…
Q: Public opinion and the press say that this will be the biggest mixed martial arts event ever held in Spain. Does this generate additional pressure for you?
A: I have always said one thing: feet on the ground and head in the stars. So I try to live in this balance in which things happen naturally thanks to work. And it is true that we have had obstacles, barriers to entry, we have also entered into a dynamic of records, of surpassing oneself, that is competition. Don’t get me wrong, but I see this as a natural growth.
Q: It is a natural growth, as you say, which, added to the work and effort, catapults you. Thanks also to the arrival as a shareholder of Ilia Topuria. With an objective look, what grade would you give to this Saturday’s poster?
A: Yes, that is, in accumulated victories. If we put a title, we could say that in Saturday’s event we will have at least seven possible candidates for the UFC, which would be the Champions League of this sport. Although people always tend to value more what is outside. I have always been a great ambassador and defender of what is ours, that is why I have set up a project because in Spain there are very good champions. But there are undoubtedly many fighters who dream of reaching the UFC. My dream is that they do not dream of getting there, but of WOW.
Q: I wanted to ask you a specific question about this. Ilia himself posted a message praising WOW fighters and also saying that his dream, like yours, is that in the future they will not fight to reach the UFC, but rather that belonging to WOW will give them enough visibility to be a star in the sport.
A: It’s not just a future. It’s something that’s already happening. I get a lot of messages from people who say, ‘My dream is to fight in WOW.’Of course, we want people to be proud of being in the Spanish League, that they don’t need to go to the Premier League or the Champions League and that they end up winning the best League in the world in the Spanish League. We know there is still a long way to go, but that’s what we are here for.
Q: Let’s say WOW stops being a showcase and becomes the place where fighters want to be.
A: That’s it. I think a big part of this path is that we are not only a means, but also an end for many fighters. For this to happen, it is not only a responsibility of each individual, it is a responsibility of the ecosystem itself, it is a responsibility of the media, it is a responsibility that we all bet on this beautiful sport full of values. and together we help create the perfect storm for all of this to happen.
Q: Can this coup or perfect storm be caused by breaking the WOW audience record in Vistalegre or breaking the audience?
A: I think it will happen and these are the ingredients that are given for this coup effect to happen. I think there is a part that will be gradual, but there is another part that, like all growth, has peaks. We have now had a very good peak and it is the result of tireless work and others will come soon. Hopefully on Saturday we will put these ingredients in place for this to happen, but they are still missing.
Q: Ilia himself was asked if it was possible to organise a party at the Santiago Bernabéu and he replied that it was very, very possible.
A: You have to dream big to achieve big and I agree with my partner on this point. I know He showed that it was possible and we also showed that we can do great things, so why not a night at the Bernabéu. That would be fantastic.
Q: Can you imagine with this video scoreboard, this ceiling…?
A: Yes, even though I am not a big football fan, if you said to me “hey, get wet”, I would say Real Madrid, without a doubt. It fits perfectly with the values that we want. And the Bernabéu, in this case, is the temple of Madrid and our capital. Why not? Why not make Madrid the European capital of MMA?
Q: Tell us your part of the story of this alliance with Topuria.
A: It’s a very big sport, which moves the masses, a sport in which we all know each other. Then we met at an event. He came to WOW Talent, an edition that we do to create and capture new talents, young MMA projects. There we met and the work paid off. He called me and said: “Hey, I think you’re doing things very well and we need to sit down and talk.” I told him that it seemed perfect to me and from there everything went pretty well, because there are deals that are not easy to close and that close the fine print as they say. But I think we are all happy and it’s a win-win. We all win, the Spanish public and MMA win.
Q: Many surprises are expected this Saturday night, but what about in the near future?
A: More growth, more events, more surprises, new cities that will be able to enjoy the biggest events of the company, which are the numbered events. To bring it closer to all audiences from all corners of Spain and especially to many champions.
Q: Isn’t it a sign of success to see how people of 50, 60 or 70 years old, who have always been fans of boxing or martial arts, discover WOW and become addicted?
That’s one of the biggest satisfactions. The biggest strength is that we’ve managed to build a loyal audience, a community, many people who come to WOW to enjoy the event with their families don’t come just because they want to see the fight of the night. They come as a concept and that’s one of the things I was looking at.
Q: Would you, four and a half years ago, writing down the details of a project with a notebook and pen, be surprised by what you accomplish?
A: Faith has always been there, concentration too, even if sometimes the strength has weakened because of the demands of time, work, stress, pressure. That is why it is important that there are other pillars on which you can rely, especially today.
