UFC Officially Announces Return to Japan on February 2012
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 6, 2011 2:54 AM EDT
in UFC News
Email
Print
The UFC held a press conference in Tokyo a few moments ago where Mark Fischer, the Zuffa Asia Managing Director, formally announced that they will be hosting a show in Japan on February 26, 2012. This will be 14 years since the SEG-owned UFC last went to the country, but it will be Zuffa's first voyage to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Here are a few important details from the presser (courtesy of Tony Loiseleur and Dan Herbertson):
- The Feb 2012 event will be at the Saitama Super Arena and it will be configured to fit 20,000 fans.
- No news yet on whether it will be a PPV, or a 'Fight Night', but the event will start at 10 a.m. in Japan to fit with the American broadcast of the show. Main card would be at noon to 3 p.m.
- No fights have been officially announced. It will be finalized at around November, but Zuffa fighters, Norifumi Yamamoto, Riki Fukuda, Takanori Gomi, Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Michihiro Omigawa, Hatsu Hioki, and Takeya Mizugaki are all possibilities for the show.
- It would be like a Japanese version of UFC: Rio, where there will be local talent picked up, and local media events.
- The UFC is planning to come to Japan often: "Let me also say that while UFC Japan in 2012 will be the first event for Zuffa in Asia, it certainly won't be the last. We hope to make UFC Japan an annual fixture on our calendar and we also have plans to follow-up with a series of high quality events across Asia," -- They have been promising to bring shows to other Asian countries, and with TUF Philippines being finalized, could that be the other Asian destination? I can only hope.
88 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I'll be there, man.
I only drink the finest breast milks.
by Earl Montclair on Sep 6, 2011 3:01 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
are you serious?
That would be awesome. I wish I can attend this also. But it might be too fucking expensive to fly to japan, get tickets, and accomodations.
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 6, 2011 3:05 AM EDT up reply actions
No.
I will be there (at the bar) watching.
If going to Japan is far too expensive for you, there is no way in hell I could ever afford the cost of all that stuff.
I only drink the finest breast milks.
by Earl Montclair on Sep 6, 2011 3:08 AM EDT up reply actions
This coincides with the time I'm planning on globe-trotting...
And I’ve seriously been considering a couple weeks in Japan. Could be awesome.
"Kickboxing is great. It combines the style and grace of boxing with... kicking." -- Norm MacDonald
Possibly
I know Kuala Lumpur is probably going on the schedule.
"Kickboxing is great. It combines the style and grace of boxing with... kicking." -- Norm MacDonald
by Anthony Pace on Sep 6, 2011 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions
awesome. hit me up if you do come here.
I’ll get you drunk. haha.
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 7, 2011 12:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Definitely.
"Kickboxing is great. It combines the style and grace of boxing with... kicking." -- Norm MacDonald
by Anthony Pace on Sep 7, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
If they brought back the ring for this event
That’d be amazing.
But I know that’s a long shot as they are always about putting their brand and style first.
The key is to hit the guy in the jaw really hard before the other guy does it to you.
by FreeLightningLee on Sep 6, 2011 3:06 AM EDT reply actions
First thought:
Restore the Pride FC name, bring back the ring, Lenne Hardt, everything, for the Japan show every year. I realize it’s MASSIVE long shot, but it’d be unbelievable.
"Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth."
Chris McCandless A.K.A. Alexander Supertramp
1968-1992
turning Japanese?
I really think so. About damn time. They should allow pride rules and open weight classes for this event. How epic that would be…
by MuyThaiGroinAssault on Sep 6, 2011 3:06 AM EDT via iPhone app reply actions
It is sort of annoying when they do these international cards
and make it so every single fight has to have someone representing that contract. I could understand most but every? Sometimes a country is lacking fighters in a title picture and it waters it down. Japan is one of them.
Yeah sure as hell annoying
btw, whatever happened to all those Dubai natives who fought during UFC 112?
Twitter @iamroadmap
I don't see the problem
Especially with first time events. They want to make an impact in the country and really why would the local media really invest a lot of their time in it if there weren’t natives in the event.
The key is to hit the guy in the jaw really hard before the other guy does it to you.
by FreeLightningLee on Sep 6, 2011 3:24 AM EDT up reply actions
It works both ways
Yeah in the long run it is better for the UFC to put home-grown talent on the card but it does water down the card a bit if they didn’t restrict themselves to using just home grown guys for every fight. I like to see 1 or 2 huge fights on every card.
why are you assuming there won't be 1 or 2 huge fights here?
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 6, 2011 4:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Assuming they follow Brazil, Canada, England,Australia model
They will look to put a japense fighter in nearly every fight. There just arent any huge fights to make with them that is for a belt or no.1 contender except Hioki.
They do have to sell tickets to the event remember
and locals love to cheer for their own.
What about Australia!?
Come on UFC..
Our women are clearly hotter!
Compared to Japan? Sorry, but that is a HELL NO!
by Horselover Fat on Sep 6, 2011 5:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Unless you have an asian fetish, australian women> japanese women easily
Favorite League of Legends characers:
Amumu
Malphite
Singed
Teemo
Nunu
by Hendo_One-Shot on Sep 6, 2011 6:26 AM EDT up reply actions
is it an asian fetish if you're asian?
and since when is being attracted to women of any race a fetish? Having to get kicked in the balls by a shemale in high heels to get off is a fetish.
I was one of the authors of the Port Huron Statement.
by Grappo on Sep 6, 2011 7:15 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
if that was the criteria to get a card to your country then the UFC should move their entire main office over here to Sweden
by the guy with the big nose on Sep 6, 2011 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Zach Arnold has a pretty scathing piece over at Fight Opinion. While it seems quite negative, he’s got quite a point. This sounds like a pretty lazy attempt. Dana didn’t show up to the presser; he just had a taped statement which seems pretty strange, especially when they are entering a new market.
Additionally the strange thing is the 10 am start time. This practically means that the prelims are more than likely going to start at 7am local time, which is absolutely absurd, that wouldn’t fly anywhere at all. The main event for this, I’d guess, will probably be Hioki (should he win) vs. Aldo. Other than that though they really have no real contenders to display as mostly everyone else, with the exception of Fukuda, is on the downside of their career.
Sadly this may just be a display of a bunch of older PRIDE era fighters vs. a bunch of nobodies just to get in the door.
did you read?
Prelims start at 10. Main card starts at noon.
They don’t necessarily need a Japanese fighter on each of the main card bouts. There’s guys like Nogueira, Shogun, and even Crocop too.
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 6, 2011 3:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Even the Japanese realize those guys are no longer at the top of their divisions. Zach’s argument, which I agree with, is that Japan still views itself as the center of the MMA world and is not going to accept a second tier show just because it is the UFC. In fact they’ll want more from the UFC because they ain’t Japanese. If the UFC brings Lesnar, GSP, and/or Overeem and they work with local promotions to get TV play, they might have success. But they won’t so they probably won’t. Vanity and salting the earth are the motives here.
Vanity and salting the earth are the motives here.
Massive fucking leap.
"Who are you and how the hell did you get in here?"
"I'm a locksmith... and i'm a locksmith."
I think vanity is dead on, but the salting the earth talk is just silly. Zuffa wants to conquer the globe, and that includes Japan. No way they want to salt the earth in a market where they might want to do business later.
I think ‘planting the flag’ is a more apt description. This is Zuffa doing their best Douglas MacArthur impression. It stuck in their craw that they failed to break into the Japanese market back in 2007 and this event is their ‘I shall return’ moment. They want to show that are not afraid of the Japanese market and they want to expose Japanese fans to the ‘right way’ to promote MMA as a sport rather than as an offshoot of puroresu.
I think Zuffa is well aware that they are going to lose their shirts on this on this event, but make no mistake about it, they still have long-term plans to do business in Japan. They do not want to poison the well or salt the earth. That’s just bad business.
Hatsu Hioki vs. Jose Aldo
Shogun Rua vs. Contender
Big Nog vs. Contender
Yushin Okami vs. Contender
Plus
Yoshihiro Akiyama
Riki Fukuda
Takanori Gomi
Michihiro Omigawa
Norifumi Yamamoto
Takeya Mizugaki
Maybe they even get a top Japanese fighter like Kawajiri or Aoki, and if they’re lucky, maybe Overeem. Get combinations of those fights, and you will get a top notch card. Put that card on ANY country, and it’s not going to be “second tier”.
Was UFC: Rio second tier? Abu Dhabi? I’d wait for the full fight card before judging it as an “insult to japan” like Zach said.
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 6, 2011 3:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Shogun Rua and Big Nog haven’t fought in Japan in 5 years. Okami, Akiyama, Gomi, Omigawa, Yamamoto are all coming of losses and none, even if they were draws, are thought of as major draws anymore. They have no major TV deal, which they had in Brazil and which is the most important component to promoting in Japan. They are going to start their show at 10 friggin AM in a market that views themselves as the center of the MMA universe. What does that tell you? The Japanese are just like us Americans, we view ourselves as the best and disdain what we don’t excel at (see football or, should I say, soccer). The Brazil show was stacked with current top Brazilian fighters including the GSP of Brazil, Silva. What Japan is going to get is the Australian show, and I doubt that works for them.
Again, I'd wait until all the details are hashed out before judging.
UFC fans in Japan and all around Asia are used to watching the UFC at that time, so they’re not going to be surprised at that.
Fans who only watch DREAM and SRC but despises the UFC, are the minority, and they’re not going to be the main target market anyway, so it’s not really a concern.
Also, the Japanese aren’t as delusional as you portray them to be. They know that Japanese MMA is declining. They know that lots of fighters aren’t getting paid. The fans know that, the fighers know that. Everyone is grounded, especially since the quakes. They know their economy is down, they know every single industry they have is down… Even Aoki who has always been a “Japan FOREVER!” kind a guy, knows that there aren’t any good opportunities in the country anymore and that they’re having a hard time recovering and heading back to the days where they were on top.
Comparing it to Affliction is not a good analogy. The UFC won’t be putting strictly top fighters that aren’t famous there. You can guarantee they’re going to put fighters that are stars in Japan, if they can get Overeem, Wanderlei, Nog, or Shogun, along with a few local stars, and the more popular Japanese fighters on their roster, that would be a home run…
As for the TV deal, why are you assuming they’re just going to have the exact same set up they have now, as to when they start focusing on the Japan card for 6 months?
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 6, 2011 4:30 AM EDT up reply actions
If they get a major TV deal that will be great but currently they don’t have one and I’ve seen no stories indicating one is in the works. So if they go ahead with it as it currently stands there will be no major TV push, a 10 am start time and a lot of domestic promoters trying to sabotage their efforts. How do you think that would work out in the US?
Herbertson thinks they'd sell out Saitama.
I think so too.
Comparing it to the US is missing the point. The UFC is coming back after 14 years. Pretty sure that’s different from “hey, we’re hosting another show in the US, on a state that we went to before!”
as for the TV deal, and the fight card, that could possibly pose problems as you mentioned, but I’m going to wait until the event comes closer before judging. They have several months to build a card, build interest, and land a better TV deal.
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 6, 2011 4:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I think they’ll come close to selling out as well. It will be reconfigured for 20,000 and a lot of hardcores will pack it just lock a lot of hardcores packed the Pride Vegas shows and the 2008 Affliction show. My point is, what they’ve announced and put together so far, doesn’t sound like the recipe for a big expansion or any expansion into Japan. But I’ll do as you suggested an wait and see what they come up with in the next 5 months.
by John Nash on Sep 6, 2011 5:06 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Herbertson thinks they're just milking an already existing market
and probably won’t be expanding JMMA as some people are expecting… Either way, looks like we both think this show will most likely be successful, which is mainly what I’ve been trying to say. Zach saying that this is an Insult to Japan, and that they won’t accept this show, is pretty much wrong.
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 6, 2011 5:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Do you really think the UFC is going to put on a show in a country they have no TV deal in?
They will obviously get a deal done before the event! Who are these domestic promoters that are going to sabotage the show? You mean the few that are left that can barely afford to put on a show and can’t even pay the fighters? They don’t have the money to effectively sabotage the show. All they can really do is run off at the mouth for a few months until the event comes and I doubt that will have a major impact on how the event is viewed. Zuffa isn’t stupid I’m pretty sure they have an idea of what it is that Japanese fans like(want). It doesn’t seem like Japanese fans need every fight to be “Relevant to the division” like some of the people on this site. They just want to see good fighters from Japan and the guys they love that aren’t Japanese like Shogun, Wandy, Big Nog, and Overeem. There are plenty more that I can’t think of off the top of my head. Oh and muscles they love them some muscles. I’m sure they would love to watch Brock donkey kong punch someone!
" Its like when I'm right I'm right, when I'm wrong I coulda been right, so I'm still right cause I coulda been wrong, you know, and I'm sorry cause I could be wrong right now, I could be wrong, but I'm right..." Bama
And I should elaborate on this, I am sure they’ll put together a great card. I am sure it will be a card I’ll be pumped to watch. But if people recall back in 2008 Affliction put on a event in California stacked with top fighters who had made their name fighting unseen oversees or years previously in the UFC. And they did it without any television support, The result, even with the top HW and 3 of the next 5 HWs, was a measly 100,000 ppvs sold. The strength of the card doesn’t matter much.
They might bring in Lessnar vs Big Nog as Nog may be a contender
I’m not resting until I’m officially Anderson Silva status.- Jon "Bones" Jones
I think they mean
10am in Japan
Normal time here in North America
event will start at 10 a.m. in Japan to fit with the American broadcast of the show
Looks like no event in Australia next year even though we’ve done two of the fastest sellouts in UFC history.
Where are you getting that?
This is just an announcement for one card that’s at the beginning of the year. There’s plenty of time to have another card in Australia next year.
This time last year the tickets were on sale....
And so far nothing has even been announced so im not holding my breath, Pretty f$%ken pissed actually considering the how much appreciation we showed the UFC the two times it came Down Under.
The 2nd fastest selling event in UFC history coupled with a merchadising record as well and we get the big skip… Not impressed! Especially considering UFC 127 was pretty lackluster card with an even worse main event(Luckily BJ somehow managed to make Fitch borderline entertaining, A credit to the Prodigy for achieving the near impossible)
BJ Penn and Shogun Rua fan for life.
they haven't even come here even after numerous promises.
don’t be greedy. haha.
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 6, 2011 4:31 AM EDT up reply actions
The time zone logistics wouldn’t work for a show in March through to October. Prelims would be starting before 8am.
Suppose they could come here in November, but I can’t see them running in December.
I'm not really sure
but I think they tape delayed the previous Australian cards.
I still don’t understand why they’re doing this. JMMA is all but dead, and I don’t think the UFC is going to change that. Seems like there would be other markets to focus on in Asia if you really want to go there (Korea, Singapore, Philippines).
I say stay the fuck out of Japan unless you resurrect PRIDE FC!
JMMA is almost dead because there isn’t a major promotion over there anymore. This is definitely the best time for the UFC to go there because they won’t have any serious competition.
This could make the UFC one of those electrocuting paddle things to keep JMMA from completely dying.
There are no major promotions partly because fan interest has died down considerably. Sure there isn’t much competition, but there are many factors at play here and I don’t think the japanese will be so easily convinced by Zuffa.
I don’t think this will have any lasting effect on JMMA. This is a one-off show, and even if they do like they say and come back once a year, that’s hardly frequent enough to alone bring alive a new boom of interest in MMA.
by Horselover Fat on Sep 6, 2011 4:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Sakuraba vs Hughes
Please make it happen.
Bloody Elbow Grappling Editor.
Follow me on Twitter @KJGould
Like me on Facebook
I'd watch the fuck out of that fight.
"Kickboxing is great. It combines the style and grace of boxing with... kicking." -- Norm MacDonald
by Anthony Pace on Sep 6, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought the Japense hate the UFC
because of the rivalry with Pride FC and all that.
This is a huge waste of time and money
i don’t get the Japan obsession. There are many more worthy countries…
Or they could just focus on the States where PPV sales aren’t what they were even a year ago. Just a thought.
because they still make money with these ppv sales that aren’t what they were a year ago and there is huge potential to make money if they can make money in Japan.
UFC can afford to make zero revenue on a card if they need to (but they would never do that). It is a short term risk to try and start the machine rolling again in Japan that could be a huge money maker for them down the line.
EXACTLY
Japan is no longer the power house of international MMA that it once was. So many better countries to focus on instead.
The OneFC card was fantastic, good production, fast bout turn around and had great fights that not only promoted local talent but other international prospects.
Economically, Japan still might be up there in GDP but the combination of a recession, tsunami (the new one) and the nuke plant disaster; I highly doubt that makes for a good climate to start their “asian expansion”
by squaresphere on Sep 6, 2011 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Shinya Aoki just became a target for the UFC
I believe they will make a run at him. Overeem would also attract the Japanese audience. Cro Cop, Nogueira, but Aoki would be the icing on the cake.
Narcisist aka: Alberto Martinez, former owner of URDirt.com.
I think they'd try to pull
Stun Gun Kim and possibly the fighter from China to draw on the Asian market.
I’d be interested to see if they pull Sakuraba for one fight.
If Mayhem can do a quick turnaround he’d be a good candidate too.
I’ve been overwhelmed and I’ve been underwhelmed. Can I ever just be whelmed?
"The fighter from China"
Zhang Tie Quan?
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 6, 2011 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions
As succesful as Brazilian fighters were in Rio, I could see Japanese fighters doing equally as Bad in Japan
I hope the focus is more ex-pride guys, for that reason. CroCop v Nog, some combo of Hendo, Rua, Ranpage, etc. Also, Overeem would be a great addition as would… Fedor. Huge money potential. I don’t even like the guy, but a one fight deal here would be crazy and great business for the UFC.
by Luffmania on Sep 6, 2011 10:08 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Wonder where this leaves the Australia event?
It’s usually in February so I hope we still get one. In saying that if there’s some cheap flights going I think a weekend in Japan could be in order for this!
Don't be scared Gomi...
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bloody Elbow
Related FanShots on Bloody Elbow
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
