The Bottom Line: The UFC’s Next Frontiers

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues its tour of the Empire State on Saturday, as it stages UFC 210 in Buffalo, New York. Following the promotion’s first New York City card at Madison Square Garden, the UFC ran its first Albany event and then its first card from Brooklyn. It will make its promotional debut in Uniondale in July. New York was long the UFC’s white whale, and the company is wasting no time touching down in all corners of the state.

This New York expansion follows a broader trend over the past decade and a half as the UFC has made a concerted effort to run all over the country and the world. The philosophy is clearly that running events in different areas will build the sport’s popularity in those regions. The result of those efforts is that there are fewer and fewer new horizons by the year. For years, UFC President Dana White was bombarded with questions from fans and media: “When are you coming to our city?” There aren’t nearly so many people left to ask that question now.

However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting new markets for the UFC. Particularly internationally, there are plenty of areas to which the UFC hasn’t yet found an entryway. There is no definitive list given all the possibilities, but here are eight of the most intriguing new markets the UFC has yet to visit (latest odds).

1. Honolulu

For years, Hawaiian fighters have lobbied for an event at Aloha Stadium. Hawaii certainly deserves a UFC card given its rich fighting tradition and passion for the sport of MMA. A big event in Hawaii would also be a likely tourist draw, providing traveling fans coming in from the continental United States to add to the local revenue. B.J. Penn was never able to get that card at his peak, and now, Max Holloway wants the opportunity to headline the first UFC event in Hawaii. In some ways, the timing is as good as it has ever been. Holloway certainly isn’t the star that Penn was at his peak, but being greeted as a conquering hero in his home state is the sort of moment that could help to make fans perceive him at a higher level. A Penn retirement fight against a soft opponent could complement the Holloway fight and provide a symbolic passing of the torch. All the pieces are there for a great Hawaiian debut.

2. St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia shares something in common with Hawaii in that it has a rising native star. What distinguishes Khabib Nurmagomedov from Holloway is that there are approximately a hundred times more Russians than Hawaiians. Nurmagomedov is building a big popularity base, and it will only continue to grow if he gets a fight with Conor McGregor. Nurmagomedov is hardly the only emerging Russian fighter. Russian MMA is on the ascent, and there is a big market there to be cultivated. Moscow is a bigger city than St. Petersburg and would be another possibility for the first UFC card in Russia, but St. Petersburg is culturally more connected to the west. Since Fedor Emelianenko became a star in Japan, three of his four fights in Russia have taken place in St. Petersburg rather than Moscow. The Russian market is ripe for the UFC if the promotion can figure out the logistics.

3. Mumbai, India

If Russia is a shorter-term bet for UFC, India is a long-term play. India has nowhere near the combat sports history of Russia, but it has many more people and a much bigger economy. Add deep cultural ties with the United States and a common language and there is a lot of potential there. Of course, that’s what every major international sports league is thinking, and few have had any success breaking in. MMA has the benefit of being very simple to understand and cheap to get into, but it will take time. The UFC started its play for China with a Chinese season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and a card in Macau, but India remains a distant hope.

4. Buenos Aires, Argentina

An Argentinian MMA surge could pay big dividends for the UFC. To begin with, it’s one of the biggest economies in Latin America, and Buenos Aires is one of South America’s jewels. Then there is the not inconsequential matter of Argentina’s neighbor to the north. Argentina and Brazil are two of the biggest sporting rivals in the world, and MMA is one of Brazil’s most popular sports. If enough Argentinians follow the lead of Santiago Ponzinibbio and Nazareno Malegarie, it would benefit not only Argentine MMA but Brazilian MMA. A readymade long-term villain for Brazilian MMA fans to root against would help solidify MMA’s status in Brazil.

5. Bangkok

In muay Thai-loving Thailand, MMA is a natural fit. One Championship has run the country regularly, and the UFC could do well, too. More than what UFC would get out of it, Thailand deserves to be celebrated by MMA for its important contributions to the sport. Jiu-jitsu, wrestling and boxing are regularly celebrated in the areas where they developed, but kickboxing is more associated by many with the Netherlands, Japan or Brazil than muay Thai’s home in Thailand. A major event in Bangkok would link that past with the present.

6. Johannesburg

The UFC has run events in five of the seven continents now. Assuming the UFC never runs an event in Antarctica, that leaves one continent yet to go. MMA isn’t popular in a lot of regions of Africa, so it’s unlikely to be a regular stop anytime soon. However, it would be nice to hit the remaining possible continent. Johannesburg and Lagos, Nigeria, are probably the best options. South Africa would offer the benefit of being able to feature local icon and folk hero Garreth McLellan.

7. St. Louis

St. Louis is the largest metropolitan area in the United States to never host an Ultimate Fighting Championship event, and after the UFC runs Kansas City, Missouri, in less than two weeks, it will be the only one left in the top 35. This is a rather strange fact. St. Louis was a regular stop for Strikeforce and is a regular location for Bellator MMA events. St. Louis fans would support a UFC debut, and the UFC has been so meticulous about hitting every top market in the U.S. sooner or later. Luckily for St. Louis, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley hails from nearby Ferguson, Missouri, and provides a natural reason for the UFC to come to the city. The UFC ran a big show in Cleveland for Stipe Miocic, and giving Woodley a similar opportunity would help to silence some of the criticism directed at the perceived treatment of “The Chosen One.” With the Rams leaving, St. Louis sports could use a little pick me up from the UFC.

8. Havana

This is an outside-the-box pick. The UFC is unlikely to run in Havana any time in the next couple decades, but it would be a welcome development on a number of fronts. MMA’s outlaw spirit would be a logical conduit to bridge the divide between two countries. Baseball is Cuba’s biggest passion, but it has a rich tradition of success in combative sports like boxing and wrestling. Plus, stories don’t get much better than Yoel Romero finally returning to the home country he once left to compete for a world championship. It’s a fanciful dream to be sure, but maybe Romero will get his title shot someday.