UFC in China: The Start of an Incredible Journey
2012-09-07 13:49:00 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Liuyuanhui
As the promotion trail for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's first event in China starts to heat up, a press conference was held in Hong Kong on September 6.
Mark Fischer, managing director of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in Asia, speaks at a press conference, held on September 6, in Hong Kong to promote the upcoming UFC event to be held in Macao, at the Cotai Arena, in November. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Xu Weiyi]
By Stuart Wiggin
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world's premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, is getting ready to stage its first event on Chinese soil in Macao, at the Cotai Arena, on November 11, 2012. On September 6, the UFC held a press conference atthe newly launched Epic MMA Club in Hong Kong to promote the event and present Chinese journalists with an introduction to the sport and to some of the stars who will be going into battle on fight night. Despite the fact that the card only features one Chinese fighter, Zhang Tiequan, the event still represents a landmark for the North American fight promotion, which has been trying to break into the Chinese market for a considerable period of time.
The event will feature a 10 bout fight card featuring 10 fighters from the Asia Pacific region. The event is set to be headlined by "two iconic former world champions" in the form of America's Rich Franklin and Vietnamese born fighter Cung Le. It is hoped that Cung Le's acting experience in China, featuring alongside the likes of Donnie Yen and working under the guidance of Wong Karwai, will create wider interest in the first Chinese card in the company's history.
Mark Fischer, managing director of the UFC in Asia, led the press conference and stressed the importance of the upcoming event for the growth of the UFC brand in Asia. "This is the start of what we believe will be an incredible journey in China. It has taken us a long time to get here. In some ways, we've always believed that the UFC has always belonged in China. We believe China to be one of the spiritual birthplaces of martial arts and we're proud to finally bring the UFC's world famous octagon to Da Zhonghua."
There has been a lot of speculation regarding the difficulty of holding events similar to those that the UFC holds on the mainland. China Radio International asked Fischer why Macao was chosen for the location of the first event on Chinese soil, and how long he expected it to be until a UFC event would take place on the mainland? "Macao is a perfect choice for our first event for a couple of reasons," Fischer noted. "One, we have a wonderful venue in the Cotai Arena. It's a world class arena; it meets all of our needs in terms of a place to co---it has great access to people all over the region." On the issue of holding an event on the mainland, Fischer was adamant, "We are coming to China mainland. We're currently studying all the options. We're in the middle of promoting the sport on many different channels and internet networks across China. We're currently on 10 provincial channels with both live and taped shows. We want to build the awareness up in China to a critical mass and then come in with a very big show when we're ready." Fischer added that the Macao event will be broadcast live globally in 20 different languages and reach more than a billion homes round the world.
The Macao event is not only a landmark for the UFC organization, but also for the Hong Kong/Macao area. Fischer added, "This is one of the single biggest sporting events ever to hit the Hong Kong/Macao area, and arguably the biggest in terms of the global attention that the event will generate. In fact this is the first time for Zuffa LLC to stage a UFC event primetime in Asia, highlighting our growing commitment to this region." One of the Asian fighters on the card, South Korea's Dong Hyun Kim, recently spoke out regarding the negative aspects of having to travel to North America to fight. China Radio International asked Kim what the main differences will be for him and his fellow Asian fighters fighting on an event so close to home.
Kim replied, "One of the major problems of fighting in the U.S. is the time difference; the jetlag. Normally, I go to the US about 4 days before the bout. I always have a problem getting a good night's sleep before getting ready for the fight. Coming out here and having the opportunity to fight in Macao is a great opportunity; I'm very happy. I don't really have to worry about the time differences, so I should be able to be fully rested and prepare for the fight. I also think this will give a lot of opportunities for other fellow Asian fighters."
In the main event, former middleweight champion Cung Le will take on former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin in a fight which is sure to deliver fireworks. At an open workout session following the press conference, China Radio International asked Cung Le what a win over Franklin would mean for his career. "A win against Rich Franklin means that I will have beaten the toughest, most decorated, UFC mixed martial arts fighter of my career," said Le. "That would be something that I've worked all my life (for) and no matter who the opponent, I'm honored and I'm going to fight my heart out to get the win." Upon being asked whether he was feeling more pressure being marketed as the main attraction on the card due to his acting experience in China, Le replied, "There's always pressure, but fighting at home in front of the Asian people, Chinese people, Vietnamese people, Korean people, Japanese people, every single Asian around the world; there's always a lot of pressure. But that's what I live for; the pressure."
Perhaps the most interesting sound bite from the whole course of proceedings was related to the UFC's commitment towards nurturing fighter talent in China. After one reporter addressed the lack of Chinese fighters on the card, Fischer talked about the UFC's plan to help develop talent within the region. "We have a plan, called the China fighter development program. We had a trial of this earlier this year where we brought over a small group of Chinese fighters to Las Vegas, the fight capital of America, for a month. In addition, when we open up this program again, following the Macao fight, we're going to be bringing over coaches and trainers from the UFC to China to train a number of fighters in China. Basically, it's a long term development plan. There are some other very good Chinese fighters that are fighting in some smaller promotions. But we think it may take a little bit more training to get them into the UFC; there are some very good Sanda fighters in China but we need to develop the ground game. This is what the Chinese fighter development program is all about."
Tickets for UFC Macao go on sale to the general public from September 7.
From left to right, Dong Hyun Kim, Rich Franklin, Cung Le and Zhang Tiequan pose for photos at a press conference, held on September 6, in Hong Kong to promote the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event to be held in Macao, at the Cotai Arena, in November. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Xu Weiyi]
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