Back in the cage in S’pore, UFC sets its sights on Asia
UFC vice-president, North Asia, Kevin Chang at the press conference for UFC Fight Night Singapore at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 23
SINGAPORE — As mixed martial arts (MMA) continues to gain popularity among fans in Asia, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is making another attempt to muscle in on the growing market after stumbling in its initial foray into the region.
Among other things, the Las Vegas-based promotion plans to beef up its roster of Asian athletes, as the UFC launched its first-ever scholarship programme for athletes with partner AirAsia. The programme will see talent scouts picking an athlete from Asia-Pacific for an all-expenses paid trip to UFC's performance institute in Las Vegas. Budget airline AirAsia will also sponsor an athlete to participate in UFC president Dana White's Contender Series.
The UFC currently has 50 athletes from Asia-Pacific, including countries such as Australia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, and New Zealand. Local MMA fans could also see a second Singaporean fighter in the octagon in the future, after Royston Wee first made his debut four years ago at UFC Fight Night 34 at the Marina Bay Sands.
On Wednesday (April 25), Mr Kevin Chang, UFC's vice-president of North Asia, told TODAY: "One of the reasons why we want to come back here is because the sport is growing, it's growing really quickly in the region and there are more gyms and clubs out here.
"It starts with grassroots, and they get into smaller promotions and they can come up… with more interest and participation, we should see a Singapore fighter hopefully soon."
In 2016, the world's biggest MMA promotion cancelled its only Asian event in Manila amid its struggles to break into the market. After a three-year absence from Singapore, the UFC made a triumphant return in June last year, when American fighter Holly Holm headlined UFC Fight Night Singapore at the indoor stadium in an event that attracted close to 8,500 fans and collected over S$1 million in gate receipts.
UFC had earlier declared it expected to earn US$50 million (S$66.4 million) from the region last year — which translates to 6 to 8 per cent of its global revenues — and it signaled its intent to make a big push into Asia by signing a multi-year deal with the Singapore Sports Hub and Singapore Tourism Board this month.
A world first for UFC, the partnership will see UFC making annual stops in Singapore over the next three years, beginning with the June 23 event which will see No 11 ranked welterweight Donald Cerrone facing off against up-and-coming British fighter Leon Edwards.
Mr Chang said Singapore was a choice pick for the partnership as it is a "gateway" into the region, and a "trendsetter for South-east Asia".
"Taking a look at Singapore, and it being the home of these prestigious sporting events... whether it's tennis, golf, all of the big events in the world... the UFC wants to be a part of that," he said.
He added: "It's an emerging sport (in Asia), and we've seen some great growth in the last two years in particular."
Mr Chang pointed to their television broadcast distribution, and their following on social media as indicators of the growth of MMA in the region.
According to a third-party study released by UFC, broadcasted UFC content totaled 234 million hours compared to 3,000 for the next largest promotion in China, while the total hours viewed for its content was 26 times more than the total for the next largest MMA promotion.
According to the UFC, it has 284 million fans worldwide, and about 32 per cent, or 93 million, are from Asia. It also claims to have about a million fans in Singapore. The American promotion also has 20 million fans on Facebook, and close to seven million on Twitter.
While the UFC's renewed push into Asia is set to challenge Singapore-based promotion One Championship's foothold in the region, Mr Chang did not want to be drawn into comparisons with their rival.
A Bloomberg report this week said that One Championship is on track to obtain a valuation of US$1 billion in its latest round of funding, and they also plan to expand in China, South Korea, and Japan.
Referring to the UFC's US$4 billion sale to WME-IMG in 2016, Mr Chang said: "For us, it was only two years ago that we got acquired by WME-IMG, that number is pretty public and on record.
"It does show the commitment they have made, and the faith they have in the sport. It's just a different proposition so that's what we focus on and we continue to build value against that."
As UFC kicks off its Asian swing with the launch of its first regional event in Singapore on June 23, Mr Chang stressed that they are just getting started.
He added: "What we hope to see, and we have been seeing already, is tremendous growth of the fan base, tremendous amount of interest and getting into that mainstream sport category.
"That supports our overall mission in becoming a global iconic brand in the world, and Asia is such a big piece of that. Our success here (in Singapore) influences the rest of the region so that's what we are doing this for, to continue to build that kind of presence in this part of the world."
Tickets to UFC Fight Night Singapore: 'Cowboy' vs Edwards presented by AirAsia are priced at S$378, S$268, S$198, S$148, S$98, S$68 and S$48 (prices do not include booking fee). Tickets are available for purchase online at www.sportshubtix.sg, the Singapore Indoor Stadium Box Office, Sports Hub Tix Outlets, all SingPost locations, and via the Sports Hub Tix Hotline at +65 3158 7888.
