Phl UFC’s next stop in 2 years

MACAU, China – The Philippines, which has a mixed martial arts market that is fast growing, is hoping it becomes one of the destinations when the Ultimate Fighting Championship holds more fight cards in Asia.

Mark Fisher, UFC-Asia’s managing director, yesterday told The STAR UFC is planning to hold at least 10 UFC events in Asia in the next two years and there is a strong chance that the world’s biggest and most prestigious MMA organization will go to the Phl.

“That’s a big possibility, the UFC going to the Phl,” said Fisher in yesterday’s media briefing hours before the UFC Macao: Franklin vs Le last night at the CotaiArena of The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel here.

“We’re aware of the potential MMA market in Southeast Asia and especially in the Phl and hopefully the UFC could finally get an event there,” he added.

Actually, the UFC has been exploring the possibility of bringing the UFC to the Phl in years with no less than UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta himself coming to town three years ago along with UFC president Dana White.

To date, MMA has been growing in the Phl through the Guam-based Pacific X-treme Combat Championship and Singapore-based ONE Fighting Championship.

ONE FC, in fact, has nearly packed the Smart-Araneta Coliseum when it held an event there a couple of months back while PXC has packed its venues at the Ynares Sports Complex and will hold an event at the Big Dome on Nov. 17.

But because of the economic crunch, it didn’t push through.

UFC though still kept its relationship with the Phl particularly with BALLS, television giant ABS-CBN’s sports cable channel which owns the rights to air UFC to the country.