Canada, Brazil, Britain and
Australia have all been recent targets of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s
ambitious expansion plans. However, after years of the world’s most prominent
mixed martial arts promotion teasing the possibility, Mexico could finally be
next.
To date the UFC has never
ventured south of the border despite Mexico’s quickly growing circuit of
regional fight promotions. But the pieces are falling into place, including a
new TV deal and a planned Spanish-language version of The Ultimate Fighter reality
series.
UFC executive Marshall
Zelaznik, who serves as a managing director of international development, had
hoped an event could take place in Mexico this year, but said that’s probably a
bit too ambitious.
“I think it’ll probably slide
to next year, in Mexico City,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “If we can get The
Ultimate Fighter: Latin America and get the live event in Mexico City, that
will really token charge our business there.”
In addition to 17 American
seasons of its competition/reality series, the UFC has hosted three
international installments of TUF. The second wrapped Saturday in Brazil, and
an Australia vs. Britain version took place in 2012. Zelaznik said TUF: Latin
America could feature fighters from a host of Spanish-speaking countries.
“It’s all one language, so it’s
very workable,” he said.
The UFC also would have a
suitable TV presence. This past month the organization announced a
joint-venture deal with Televisa Networks. As in Brazil, where the organization
has a partnership with media company Globo, the Televisa deal will include free
UFC programming on existing channels, including the popular Canal 5 in Mexico,
and the launch of a new pay-TV channel. It could launch as soon as September.
“It’s significant because
Televisa is as big in Mexico and Latin America as Globo is in Brazil,” Zelaznik
said. “To have the complete ownership and management of Televisa behind it, I
think is going to speak well for how quickly this channel can grow.”
Of course, as with other
markets, the UFC’s success in Mexico could hinge on its ability to build and
promote local talent. Mexican-American Cain Velasquez, the UFC’s reigning
heavyweight champion, is already a star in the country, and bantamweight Erik
Perez is a rising bantamweight contender.
In January UFC officials went
to Mexico for a scouting trip. More than a hundred UFC hopefuls attended, and
UFC President Dana White said it could lead the UFC to adopt its ninth weight
class, a 115-pound strawweight division, built primarily around Mexican fighters.
“The culture in Mexico, they’re
fighters,” White said at the time. “The greatest fighters in history come from
Mexico, and there’s that whole famous Mexican style of fighting.”
If the UFC’s expansion into
Mexico proves successful, it could set the blueprint for the rest of the world.
That’s especially true of the pay-TV channel. “For us internationally, there’s
a lot of opportunity,” Zelaznik said. “Pay TV is growing, and our ability to
launch a channel like this becomes very scalable very quickly.” (Source)
