UFC Asia Invasion in 2014 anyone? In the 20-year history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Asia has hosted seven company events. If all goes as planned, the Super Bowl of Mixed Martial Arts could visit Asia seven more times in 2014.
The first event of the new year, "UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim," takes place Saturday at The Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore. Featuring a welterweight fight between Tarec Saffiedine and Hyun Gyu Lim. The 10-fight card airs in the U.S. on UFC Fight Pass, the recently launched digital network. Mark Fischer, the managing director of UFC Asia, believes it will mark the beginning of a banner year for the promotion.
"We've got Saturday's event in Singapore, and we're looking at a couple of events this year in Macau," Fischer told in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. "We're looking, as well, at a new multi-year agreement to come to Japan at least once a year. We're in discussions with partners in Seoul, Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta. I don't expect all of these to happen in 2014, but we'll be coming to all of these places soon enough. Mainland China is also on the horizon."
"We're turning from sort of a one-off event to really a self-sustaining business model. We're building up the team to make that happen."
The UFC recently relocated its Asian headquarters from Beijing to Singapore, where Fischer said the promotion can more easily manage its expansion in the region. The company will still maintain an operations base in China but a staff of 20 is now on site in Singapore.
"We see this as the beachhead for continued entry and exploration, if you will, of all of the Southeast Asian markets such as Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and more," Fischer said. "There are huge populations in these countries, and they all have deep martial arts roots and traditions. They're all catching on to the move toward MMA."
The UFC visited Japan four times between 1997 and 2000, but did not return to Asia until 2012, when the company hosted a single event in Saitama, Japan. In 2013, the company returned to Saitama and also visited Macau.
Fischer believes the company will prove its long-term commitment to the market this year
"Like anything, it takes time," Fischer said. "A long journey starts with a single step. But by having more fights in this region, we open up many more spots and convenient opportunities for fighters from Asia and create local relevance by having these fights in Asia.
"I think educating and exposing people to the sport in the right way is the most important goal right now. It's going to take time to develop, but it really is happening."
