Meryl Streep said we weren't art.
At the 2017 Golden Globes, Meryl Streep told the world that mixed martial arts is not the arts. I answered with a pre Oscar fight night in a five star ballroom. The Hollywood Reporter covered it.
As seen in The Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles Times, Vice and more.
Steven Seagal honored with the SMASH Global belt at SMASH V.
Elevating the sport.
In 2015, pro MMA was growing fast, but the experience around it had not caught up: big arenas, limited frills and a cage fighting feel. I had fought in those cages. I wanted to elevate the sport and bring a new demographic into it, with the class of boxing, the raw excitement of pro MMA and the extravagance of a black tie gala, all in one night.
"I believe that the sport of MMA has grown so fast in such a short period of time that the crowd hasn't evolved with it. MMA was built on a 'NASCAR' feel and it's my goal to package the sport for the 'Formula One' crowd."
Steve Orosco, founderFounded on four core tenets
Mixed martial arts is the most exciting form of entertainment and the future of all combat sports.
Networking is the single most important driver for creating new business opportunities.
Honoring those who have made a significant impact in the world of combat sports is of the utmost importance.
Supporting a cause and giving back to the underserved and less fortunate.
One part sporting event, one part networking, one part award ceremony and all parts class and sophistication.
The fights were real.
A gala without real fights is just a party. Our SMASH champions signed with the UFC, which validated our talent.
From our cage to the UFC
SMASH Global champions and vets
Legends in the cage.
We honored the people who made a significant impact on combat sports, in the cage and on screen. That is how the stars of combat sports films like Mel Gibson, Steven Seagal and Dolph "Drago" Lundgren ended up in our cage.
"MMA has gone from a no holds barred atmosphere to teaching about the importance of not fighting and empowerment."
Mel GibsonLegends on the mic.
World champions, Hall of Famers and Hollywood hosted the night.
"It’s kind of cool. I feel like I’m in a movie, when people are dressed up and there’s fighting and carnage going on."
Michael Jai WhitePremium brands said yes.
Global brands showed up for a young league, on the floor and in the cage.
Then the world changed.
SMASH Global ran from 2015 to 2020, before live sports streaming existed as a market. The UFC was on Fox until 2019. FITE TV, the first dedicated combat sports streaming app, launched a year into our run. Triller bought it in 2021 and renamed it TrillerTV in 2023.
There was no distribution to chase. So we built the room: real fights, legends in the crowd and an experience people talked about without ever seeing a clip of it online.
Then Covid shut the world down. When it came back, everything ran on distribution. Every company with an app went from licensing shows and movies to fighting over live sports. Combat sports went from niche programming to must have content.
The names behind those numbers.
UFC and Zuffa Boxing
Jake Paul boxing and the merged MVP and PFL. Paul vs Tyson drew a record 108 million viewers worldwide.
Premier Boxing Champions
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and Matchroom Boxing
Real American Freestyle
Jake and Logan Paul's fight competition series
The tools finally caught up to the idea. What we proved in that room now gets built for scale: the same theatrics and production, for an audience of thousands instead of a few hundred in a ballroom.
Steve Orosco.
I started on Wall Street before I walked away to pursue my dream of becoming a professional MMA fighter. Fifteen years later I’ve built businesses across sports, entertainment and media.
I founded SMASH Global and produced ten sanctioned professional MMA events in Los Angeles. I built it from nothing: the sanctioning, the matchmaking, the production, the sponsors, the celebrity relationships and the press. Our champions went on to sign with the UFC.
Over the years I built multi year partnerships with UFC, ESPN, Meta, Lamborghini, BMW, Porsche, Hard Rock Hotel, Presidente USA and other global brands. My career sits at the intersection of combat sports, business, media and entertainment, and I hold an MBA and a Master of Science in Management, and was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Now we’re building it again.
Everything that slowed us down in 2020 is the reason to come back now. Streaming built the audience, funding followed and combat sports is one of the fastest growing categories in live sports.
We are rebuilding SMASH from the ground up: the same sanctioned professional structure, the same caliber of night, the same commission relationships we’ve had since day one, built this time for how people actually watch.
The first show is already in motion. If you want to be part of it, as a strategic partner, an angel investor or a sponsor, message us below.