Fanatics Fantasy MMA

Fanatics Fantasy MMA is a mobile-first fantasy sports app built by and for passionate fans of mixed martial arts. I was selected to develop the concept while collaborating with MMA enthusiasts and entrepreneurs who envisioned a fan-focused experience centred on live UFC events.

The engagement involved entirely remote coordination across Asian time zones while I worked from the UK. The stakeholder group had strong ideas but required structured guidance to transform them into an intuitive product. A critical need existed to establish UX fundamentals from the ground up — integrating fantasy gameplay mechanics with MMA's distinctive rhythm and competitive structure.

• Define the MVP feature set for launch on both Android and iOS
• Design a seamless experience for casual and hardcore MMA fans alike
• Create a flexible, scalable design system for future updates
• Prototype and validate interaction flows before handoff
• Deliver a polished UI aligned with fan culture and UFC energy

• Stakeholder Workshops — remote sessions to define goals, feature priorities, and user needs
• User Personas — profiles based on fantasy sports behaviour and MMA fan motivations
• Wireframes & Prototyping — mid- to high-fidelity wireframes to map game flow and interaction
• User Testing — early-stage tests to validate navigation and gameplay comprehension
• Design System — a modular UI library to support feature growth post-launch
• Final Designs — polished, platform-specific UI for iOS and Android, optimised for store review

The app delivered an engaging, mobile-first fantasy sports experience tailored specifically to MMA. It featured intuitive navigation, event-based scoring mechanics, and distinctive visual branding that set it apart from mainstream fantasy platforms. The design foundation and component architecture enabled sustained iteration and expansion.

Engaging with enthusiastic stakeholders who are also end-users brings distinct advantages and complexities — my own MMA interest helped build stronger alignment. The distributed, multi-zone environment underscored the necessity of asynchronous documentation, comprehensive record-keeping, and intentional stakeholder engagement. Establishing transparent workflows — from initial wireframing through delivery — proved essential for consensus-building and product enthusiasm.