In the second part of the special, the UFC octagon continues to explore the world. Photo: Disclosure
In the second part of the special SUPER FIGHTS about UFC debuts in different countries around the planet, we remember some of the events that helped the most important MMA organization make history and consolidate itself in different markets.
If the UFC initially began exploring the territory of the United States itself, in addition to traditional fight venues such as Brazil and Japan, international expansion later reached other continents on the planet. However, some of the locations were not easy to win, as Dana White and the Fertitta brothers' organization faced obstacles. Remember these moments in the final part of our special.
UFC 38: Europe
M. Hughes (center) receives the belt from Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta. Photo: Disclosure
On July 13, 2002, Ultimate visited the “Old Continent” for the first time with an event in the city of London, capital of England. The location chosen to host the octagon, the historic Royal Albert Hall, lived up to British elegance and escaped the stereotype of old arenas that hosted fighting events.
Naturally, the event card was full of English fighters, such as Leigh Remedios, Mark Weir and James Zikic. However, the big highlight for the local public was Ian Freeman's surprising victory over the young promise Frank mir. With a technical knockout in the first round, the English veteran put an end to the American's streak of submissions and ended his unbeaten record in MMA.
In the main fight of the night, the welterweight champion, Matt hugs, defeated Carlos Newton in the rematch of one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. This time without major controversy, the champion defended his title with a technical knockout in the fourth round.
UFC 93: Ireland
R. Franklin (left) lost to D. Henderson (right) in the main fight of UFC Ireland. Photo: Disclosure
Nowadays, the UFC already considers Ireland as a fixed location on its calendar route, especially due to the rise of Conor McGregor inside the cage. However, the organization's first visit to the country was well before the appearance of “Notório”, and even so the event left its mark on the history of Ultimate.
The warm reception of the Irish public at UFC 93, in January 2009, is often cited by Dana White as one of the greatest moments he had with the organization. All tickets for the event, approximately 10 thousand, were sold at historic speed months in advance of the attraction.
With a country still in its infancy within MMA, the expectations of all fans revolved around four great names in the history of the sport. In the main fight, Dan Henderson defeated former champion Rich Franklin in a close judges' decision; in the co-main fight, Mauritius Shogun achieved his first victory in the octagon by avenging the only loss he suffered in PRIDE, against Mark Coleman.
UFC 110: Australia
Ultimate debut in Oceania had Minotauro and Wand as highlights. Photo: Reproduction
Just over a year after the successful experience in Ireland, the UFC took an important step by entering another market considered key to its aspirations around the world. UFC 110, in Sydney, Australia, marked the Octagon's first time in Oceania, which subsequently established itself on the organization's calendar in the following years.
Due to the fact that Australia is relatively close to Japan and operates in a similar time zone, the UFC 110 card featured three fighters who made history in the “Land of the Rising Sun” during PRIDE times: Rodrigo Minotauro, Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop. This helped boost ticket sales, as all tickets for the event were sold out on the first day. The almost 18 thousand people who watched UFC 110 contributed to breaking the attendance record at the Acer Arena gym, which previously belonged to an Iron Maiden concert.
To please the United States public, the UFC card in Australia was held in the afternoon local time. Wanderlei Silva overcame the bad phase and defeated Michael Bisping in his debut in the middleweight division, and, in the main fight, Cain Velazquez showed what came when knocking out Rodrigo Minotauro with just over two minutes of fighting.
UFC 112: Abu Dhabi
UFC's arrival in the Middle East included the assembly of a special structure set up just for the event. Photo: Reproduction
If the arrival in Ireland and Australia was celebrated by the UFC, the same cannot be said about the first visit to the Middle East. Held in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, UFC 112 left a huge trauma for the UFC bosses
The event itself was of great importance for the organization, since, shortly before, 10% of the shares of Zuffa, the company that owns the UFC, had been acquired by the Arab state company Flash Entertainment. Therefore, a card of respect was put together: Anderson Silva e Vitor belfort would face each other for the middleweight belt, with B.J. Penn x Frankie Edgar for the lightweight title and Renzo Gracie, a well-known figure in the Arab world, measuring forces with the former champion Matt hugs.
The first stumble occurred a few months before the event, with Belfort getting injured and being replaced by Demian Maia. The exchange ended up cooling the public's spirits, but expectations for the attraction were still high.
However, “when it comes time to see”, the event did not deliver what was expected. The fights were not exciting and, in the main attraction, Anderson Silva he exaggerated his jokes and defeated Demian Maia in a very heated fight. The negative reception from the public put the brakes on Ultimate's plans in Abu Dhabi, which meant that the octagon only returned to the location four years later.
UFC 134: Brazil – Part 2
Spider and Okami in the main fight of the historic first edition of UFC Rio. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
As you have already seen in first part of the special do SUPER FIGHTS, the UFC arrived in Brazil for the first time in 1998, at an event held in São Paulo. However, the event that caused the Ultimate flag to be planted once and for all in the country happened almost 13 years later.
Even though it already has several Brazilian idols on the international scene, MMA has suffered a great tree in the country with the historic struggle between Anderson Silva e Vitor belfort, won by “Spider” with a cinematic kick. The fight elevated the then middleweight champion to the position of celebrity in Brazil and made the UFC's return to the country a mere matter of time.
The Octagon reunion with Brazilian fans took place in August 2011, at the Barra da Tijuca gym, southwest of Rio de Janeiro. And anyone who attended the event or watched it on television certainly didn't regret it.
The card featured three of the biggest names in the history of MMA in the country, Anderson Silva, Mauritius Shogun e Rodrigo Minotauro, as well as other names that were still on the rise. The joy was even greater due to the fact that, in the eight fights between Brazilians and foreigners, there were seven victories for Brazilian athletes, including the knockouts of Minotauro, Shogun and Anderson, which brought the audience in the arena to their feet.
UFC 134 was a great success for Ultimate's aspirations and put Brazil back on the organization's path. In the following years, the octagon returned frequently to the country, and plans for 2015 are to hold seven events in Brazil.
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