UFC return to Asia could spark turf war with regional promotions
HONG KONG: The world’s largest mixed martial arts organisation is looking to knuckle its way into Asia amid warnings the move could spark a brawl with regional promotions over a slice of the lucrative market.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which has made cage fighters such as Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey into household names, earlier this year announced five events beginning with a card in Singapore on June 17 after a 19-month hiatus from Asia.
The Las Vegas-based UFC’s return to Asia represents the organisation’s latest crack at expanding its foothold in the birthplace of martial arts. UFC have held shows in Asia from Tokyo to Manila but analysts say the efforts have yielded mixed returns on their investment compared to record-breaking triumphs in North America.
“Dana White (the UFC president) has come out here before and that’s kind of his style to come out and say amazing things: ‘We’re so focused on Asia. China’s going to be our next big things for us’,” Matt Eaton, editor of the Hong Kongbased Rough Magazine, told AFP. “But it never really played out.”
The UFC made a concerted push to enter the Chinese market throughout 2014.
They held two shows in the southern Chinese city of Macau and produced a season of its signature reality TV series “The Ultimate Fighter” that aired in the mainland featuring Chinese contenders battling for a UFC contract.
But less than a year after the show hit the airwaves the company shuttered its Beijing office and relocated operations to Singapore. “They have not penetrated the market in Asia as they think they may have thought they would five, six, seven years ago,” said Marc Raimondi, assistant editor at MMAFighting.com.
During a press conference in Singapore in February the UFC’s top brass promised their sights were firmly fixed on Asia. “We’re aware of the need for an Asian champion as we’ve never had one, said Joe Carr, UFC Head of International and Content. “That’s really the last piece of the puzzle for us.”—AFP