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David Allen, the UFC’s senior vice president and general manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), believes the promotion is still in the preliminary stages of its quest for world domination.
The Zuffa juggernaut once more wades into uncharted territory with Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 64 in Krakow, Poland, which will be headlined by a heavyweight rematch between Gabriel Gonzaga (16-9 MMA, 11-8 UFC) and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (30-11-2 MMA, 4-6 UFC) at Tauron Arena.
Just three months into his role, Allen says that undertaking such a vast remit has been energizing for him and his colleagues in the UFC’s London office, though the bulk of the task lies ahead.
“We look after 129 countries in this region, and we’ve only been to five of them,” Allen told MMAjunkie. “We’ve actually got more opportunities than we do resources at this point in time. That’s why it’s been so rewarding, because we have all these opportunities and we’re only scratching the surface.
“If you take last year, we visited five countries and put on five events. We revisited Stockholm in January and we’re returning to Berlin in June, but we’re entering new markets. We’re here in Krakow this week for the Gonzaga-‘Cro Cop’ fight, and we’re going to have anywhere over 10,000 people in the arena in our debut in a new country.”
Two nations consistently mentioned in conversations regarding the UFC’s continued expansion are Russia and South Africa, both of which could potentially yield untold growth. Allen maintains each is a pivotal part of the promotion’s goals, but for various reasons, not immediate ones.
“To go to Russia, Africa or anywhere takes at least 18 months planning from our offices before we enter a different market,” Allen said. “And that’s even before we start thinking about who is going to fight on the card.
“South Africa is probably a different proposition at this point, because it just comes down to, believe it or not, the currency. The Rand is in the toilet at this moment in time, so it would cost us an arm and leg to go there. We’re probably going to put South Africa on hold for the time being.”
As far as short-term objectives are concerned, the main priority, it seems, is to break ground in France – though, much like New York City, this has so far proven to be a political minefield, mainly due to the pronouncements of Jean Luc Rougé, the president of the French Judo Federation, who threatened to excommunicate any of its members for practicing MMA.
The issue reached fever pitch when the UFC, due to pressure from the European Judo Federation, was forced to withdraw its sponsorship of this year’s European Judo Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, which ultimately were rescheduled and relocated. However, Allen remains undaunted and is adamant these obstacles can be overcome.
“We’re going to do everything we can to enter into Paris in 2016,” Allen said. “Could you imagine how wonderful it would be to see two UFC fighters standing under the Eiffel Tower, announcing that the UFC has arrived in Paris? The thing about France is that we’re not banned; it’s a French thing of we’re actually not allowed. What we want for France is to allow fans and consumers the choice.
“It’s a political game being run by Jean Luc Rougé. There was a directive from the European Union 14 years ago that said countries in Europe should not allow mixed martial arts. The only country that involved itself in the ruling was France. At some stage, it’ll come together in France. At this point in time, it’s down to one man and his opinion.”
One of the most notable omissions from the UFC’s 2015 schedule was London, even though tentative plans for an annual visit were announced in 2014. Allen says there is a set date for the first quarter of 2016, but was unable to provide confirmation.
In addition, with the UFC returning to Berlin in June, an announcement for a new TV deal in Germany is imminent. A return to Dublin in the latter part of the year is all but set in stone, and will be proceeded by another maiden voyage, to Glasgow in July.
Outside of January’s UFC on FOX 14 in Stockholm, European fans have regularly voiced their grievances about the profile and significance of events staged on the continent, claiming North America and Brazil have been accorded the marquee cards. Allen dismisses the notion, citing Krakow as an example.
“I always find it very disrespectful for anyone to talk about the quality of a card,” he said. “You’ve got ‘Cro Cop’ and Gonzaga, a rematch of one of the greatest fights in UFC history on the top of the card. You’ve got Jan Blachowicz and Jimi Manuwa in the co-main event, and for the first bout on the card you’ve got Joanne Calderwood fighting Maryna Moroz. Those two girls are fighting for the opportunity to maybe be in title contention to fight Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her next fight.”
For all the UFC’s grandeur, Allen says that, more often than not, when trying to bring the show to town, the promotion is at the mercy of a city’s schedule, a factor which was hugely significant in preventing return trips to London and Abu Dhabi.
“We have a strategic three-year plan where we’ve identified our markets and where we want to go,” Allen said. “We’ve tried to populate our calendar by the availability of the stadiums. One of things to think about is that we don’t have our own stadium. We have to work with vendors and make sure the stadium is available. But they’re not waiting for us, and want to fill their stadium with other promotions, concerts and everything else that’s going on. We have those challenges and headaches.”
For more on UFC Fight Night 64, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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