JOE caught up with the UK President of the UFC, Marshall Zelaznik, to talk about the popularity of MMA in Europe and when UFC might make a return to these shores.
By Fergus Ryan
After taking part in a “debate” on an internet forum, some JOE staffers were disappointed to find a rather vocal element on an MMA forum decrying that Ireland served no purpose as a future venue for the UFC. In an effort to find the truth, JOE went straight to the source and got in touch with Marshall Zelaznik (above centre), the UFC’s UK President and Managing Director of International Development, to talk about the UFC’s expansion and a possible return to Ireland.
JOE: In the global scheme of things how important is Europe for the UFC compared to Asia or South America?
Dana and Lorenzo’s vision for the UFC, actually everyone who works here’s vision for the UFC, is for this thing to be absolutely everywhere and take its place alongside soccer as one of the most popular sports in the world. Europe is extremely important to the UFC. London was the first office Zuffa established outside of Las Vegas and we’ve held a dozen events in Europe in the last four years. We estimate that our events are seen by tens of millions of fans across Europe and UFC programming is available in over 16 countries in Europe.
JOE: Is the lack of MMA tradition in Europe an obstacle?
I don’t think so – the sport is a combination of martial arts and there’s a long tradition of martial arts in Europe. Also, MMA in its modern form has only been around for 17 years even in the US, and the obstacles in Europe are similar to the ones we encounter in the US, Canada, Australia and all parts in between: explaining this is a genuine sport, overcoming the misconceptions and also getting people to pay attention to a sport which, really, is the first new major sport to emerge in decades. I think you’d have to go back to Formula 1 becoming big in the 1960s for an example of the last time a sport almost came out of nowhere to capture the imagination like UFC has done.
However, we are making huge progress year on year. There’s feeling that even the UK is a little way behind the US in terms of acceptance and that’s probably true. Yet over 750,000 people watched Mike Bisping’s last fight versus Yoshihiro Akiyama across ESPN and Channel FIVE, the last two British events sold out every bit as quickly as the US events do and when you have over 1,000 people showing up to meet UFC fighters at autograph signings in London, Manchester, Glasgow and other cities you are only encouraged.
JOE: Do you have a scouting system for European fighters?
Not as such, but we do keep an eye on developing talent. Joe Silva, our matchmaker and Vice President of Talent Relations, has eyes everywhere.
JOE: Will there be a day when European shows are as often as US shows?
I think so. Eventually I think you’ll see a UFC show taking place in Sydney, then several hours later another taking place in London or Dublin or Berlin and then another in Toronto or Las Vegas… all on the same day. More and more athletes are getting into this sport, we have a growing fan-base who are screaming out for events in their area, so I think we will figure out a way to make all these things happen. It could take five years or even ten, but if you look what Zuffa accomplished over its first decade I don’t think anyone would lay real money on us not getting this done in our second.
JOE: Gareth A. Davies on ESPN’s MMA Live said the UFC was considering four UK shows for 2011. He also mentioned Scotland, Sweden and Ireland as possible venues for shows. What European cities are in the mix for the UFC?
Yes, I’m getting beaten up all the time in interviews and forums about when the next British or Irish event is. We are working on it. There are a lot of pieces which need to fall into place but we hope to make some very cool announcements in the coming months.
Specifically, I think Scotland is more likely for 2012 at this point, along with Ireland. We have a huge fan base in Sweden, with ratings over there very healthy, so we are looking to do something there perhaps in late 2011.
JOE: He also mentioned a TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) UK versus Australia, any truth to this?
Absolutely. We are talking to TV partners about this right now. Actually, the idea we are kicking around is Team England v Team Australia. The English and the Australians have a very heated sporting rivalry which goes back over a century.
Michael Bisping is keen for a UK v Australia version of The Ultimate Fighter
I had lunch with Michael Bisping on Thursday, and he asked about it. He made it very clear that he wants to be the coach of Team England. Mike is one of the most successful TUF cast members ever – winning all his TUF 3 fights via stoppage and coming back for TUF 9 and winning both titles as a coach. He was very fired up about the idea and we’d love to figure out how to make all this happen.
JOE: Have you considered a TUF Ireland versus England?
I’m not sure about that concept, we certainly haven’t considered it. Most of the talent in the UK seems to be based in the North of England. I like the idea, though, maybe we could re-visit it a couple of years down the line.
JOE: Chris Fields and Joe Duffy are Irish fighters who have tried out for TUF. Are there an increasing number of European fighters trying out?
Yes, the talent level in Ireland is getting up there. I don’t think it will be long before we see and Irishman break through and land a spot on TUF or, indeed, get a chance in the UFC.
JOE: How was the Irish experience for the UFC in Dublin for UFC 93?
Just fantastic. What a city. I can’t say enough great things about the whole experience there for UFC 93. All the fighters loved it, too.
JOE: How realistic is a return to Dublin?
I promise you we will be back, I just can’t promise when. I especially don’t want to say ‘UFC will be back this year’ because we’ve been saying that every year since UFC 93 and haven’t been able to figure it out. What I can do is repeat that UFC 93 at the O2 in Dublin was one of the best nights in company history; we sold the venue out almost immediately, the fans were beyond awesome, the 10,000 fans sounded like 100,000, the media were outstanding and everyone from Dana and Lorenzo to the fighters, to our staff had the best time there.
UFC 93 at the O2 in Dublin was a resounding success
Dana himself says UFC 93 was one of his top three favourite events ever and really wants to get back. We are frustrated that it hasn’t been able to happen yet but I can assure you it’s not like we sit in the board room saying “Let’s not go back to Dublin for another year”. We really want to get back there.
JOE: Are there any obstacles to an Irish return?
There’s no one obstacle which you can say ‘this is why it hasn’t happened yet’. We were close to coming back last summer, but the dates when the O2 was available didn’t match up with the dates our TV partners had available. Another time we seriously looked at doing a mid-week event there, but there was a rock concert booked for the night before and we would have struggled to find a location for the weigh-in and we always look to load in the Octagon the afternoon before the event. We have come close a couple of times, and it isn’t for lack of trying.
JOE: Have you considered TUF Finales, Fight Nights or Fight for the Troops type events if a full show is not practical?
We have, and we even put together the numbers on doing Fight Nights purely for UK/Irish TV. However, it makes no difference what type of show it is if we can’t get the TV dates and the venue dates matched up.
JOE: Have you ever been to an Irish show – Cage Contender, Cage Wars, Rumble in Rush?
I haven’t. Working for the UFC, there is so much time on the road that on the weekends I do have off I have to make my wife and son a priority. I try to keep informed of the scene by reading the magazine and websites. However, some of my staff really have their fingers on the pulse of MMA in the UK and Ireland and regularly attend shows. One of my staff has attended Cage Wars shows and speaks highly of the guys who put those shows together.
JOE: MMA in Japan is currently at a low ebb, is there an opportunity for the UFC or has the sport run its course in that market?
Japan is important to Zuffa. It was a powerhouse in MMA for years and there’s no reason it can’t be again. Maybe Japan is ready for mixed martial arts to be presented as a sport rather than more as a spectacle. We are making headway over there, we’ve signed some great Japanese talent over the last year or so, and we are engaging the media there. I don’t think we are all that far away from another UFC taking place over there. We are working towards that goal.
JOE: What were the big lessons learned from the UFC’s acquisition of Pride?
There’s nothing specific about the Pride situation which we can say ‘we learned something there’. We know we’ve got work to do in Japan and Asia and with Mark Fischer now running out Asia office we are very optimistic for the future in that region.
So there you have it from the man himself. The UFC will be back in Ireland as soon as they can make it happen. All we have to do as fans is make sure the UFC know we want them back!
