In this section, I plan to post articles (translated in english) to give a better idea of how media in Sweden view the UFC an Sweden. From talking to youth and adults in the area, I get the impression that it is seen as a barbaric activity. More recently, it seems that the UFC exposure on TV 4 Sport seems to be helping. The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, and UFC Events are all live, and this exposure is showing that the fighters are athletes, and seem to be educating the masses about this new sport. Also, when David and Per had events, there were traditionally articles in the main-stream newspapers, like the DN.
Here is the oldest article I could find from the DN :
Title – Martial arts contest in which everything is permitted – in a cage
Date – October 6, 2005
Teaser – We have embraced the rules of the American competition Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is only allowed in certain states in the U.S. European MMA also adds additional safety precautions that make it even safer than the UFC, ” says Marko Ervasti (an organizer of an upcoming MMA event) .