BRINGING A NUMBERED event to the EMEA region is among the main aims of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s staff at their London office, and Croke Park remains a strong contender to play host to such an occasion.
That’s according to James Elliott, the UFC’s Vice President and General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa, who was appointed to the role to lead the organisation’s EMEA operations last September.
“I think we’re definitely heading towards a numbered event in this region,” Elliott told The42 ahead of the UFC’s return to London on Saturday night, which will be headlined by the meeting of Michael Bisping and former middleweight champion Anderson Silva at the O2 Arena.
Numbered events are the UFC’s most high-profile showcases, which are subsequently designated to pay-per-view broadcasts for the US market. A numbered event hasn’t taken place in the EMEA region since UFC 138 — headlined by Mark Munoz versus Chris Leben — took place in Birmingham in November 2011. In the meantime, the region has mostly been a platform for Fight Night events.
When asked for a timeframe on potentially achieving that goal, Elliott admitted that although it’s unlikely to happen within the next 12 months, it’s a target they’re particularly keen to hit: “Maybe not in the next year but I’ll certainly be pushing as hard as I can to get it as quickly as I possibly can.”
Elliott added: “The goals of the whole team here are to grow this business as large as we can and as quickly as we can, so we’ve got a number of things as a team which we’re looking to tick off. Among those is a new TV deal in the UK and Ireland — that’s a big deal, particularly for this market, obviously, but it’s important for the business as a whole.
“London this week is going to be a massive event and a massive moment for us, and then we’ve all got our eyes set on having a numbered event in this region. I know that’s something Lorenzo [Fertitta, UFC CEO] and Dana [White, UFC president] are pushing us towards; getting the business to a stage where it’s demanding it.”
A UFC event at Croke Park has been rumoured ever since Conor McGregor, the organisation’s reigning featherweight champion, began to establish himself as one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts.
As McGregor’s value to the UFC has increased, so too has the likelihood of the 27-year-old Irish star fighting in Las Vegas for the majority of the remainder of his career. The prospect of GAA headquarters being a venue for MMA’s leading organisation has lessened as a result.
However, in a recent interview with Severe MMA, McGregor seemed exasperated by frequenting the long journey to and from Vegas, where he’ll compete for the third time in the space of eight months on Saturday week — against Nate Diaz at UFC 196. McGregor is eager to fight at Croke Park and Elliott insists that it’s still on the UFC’s agenda.
“It’s definitely something that’s still there,” he said. “We’ve made no secret of the fact that we’re looking at it. I know that Conor’s obviously keen and he’s got something to get through first next week. Then we’ll take stock and see where we’ll go.
“But it’s definitely something that we’re keen to have. Croke Park is a busy venue and there are a lot of logistical challenges for us to get it done, but it’s definitely something which is front and centre of everything that we’re heading towards. Whether it happens or not, who knows? But is it on the table? Absolutely.”
One of those logistical challenges is the time difference between Ireland and the US. A curfew for live events in Dublin dictates that the UFC would need to have a show wrapped up by 11pm (3pm Pacific Standard Time), which doesn’t tie in favourably with primetime TV slots in the US.
“It’s always been an issue. The time zones are something we can’t change but we’re doing what we can,” explained Elliott, who also pointed out that healthy viewership figures from west of the Atlantic for this weekend’s event in London could be significant.
“The decision to keep the Bisping-Silva fight in primetime in the UK this weekend is going to give us a good indication as to where we are and how the distribution channels are working in the US, and what kind of an impact the time difference would have. I’m a big believer in the only way to find out is by doing it so I’m definitely pushing that side. I’ve just got to convince everybody in Las Vegas.”
As for a more imminent return to Ireland, the UFC are still working on their EMEA schedule for the second half of the year. London is the first of three events already confirmed for 2016 in the region, to be followed by Zagreb in April and Rotterdam in May.
Having staged sold-out events at Dublin’s 3Arena in 2014 and ’15, there’s certainly a desire to come back to the Irish capital for more of the same. However, Elliott explains that it can be a tricky balancing act to satisfy fans in existing markets while also expanding into new territories — particularly with a limited number of available dates to work with.
“I don’t know, to be honest. We’re still looking at it,” Elliott said, when asked if the UFC will be back in Ireland before the end of 2016. “Dublin is very close to everyone’s hearts at the UFC. Dana said to me last year, as you may recall, that he regards it as the best fight town on the planet.
“When you hold that position in Dana’s heart, anything can happen. We’re looking at a variety of options towards the end of the year. Dublin will always be an option for us so we’ll come back to you on that one.”
He added: “We’re still working on the back half of the year, to be honest. We’ve got a few things in mind. I think by the end of the year we’ll end up having done five or six events in Europe.
“These are exciting times. We’re breaking new ground, going off to Zagreb and going to Rotterdam. Those are two new markets for us so the team here have got their work cut out to get all of that done. There’s 15 people here and we’re dealing in 145 markets. They’re not short on things to do.
“We want to make sure that wherever we go, we do it properly. Everywhere we go, everybody is clamouring for us to come back; with Glasgow, Dublin, London, Berlin. That’s great to see.”
Another pressing issue for the UFC which will be of particular interest to fans in Ireland is the organisation’s TV deal with BT Sport, which is due to expire at the end of July. There’s still uncertainty about what’s next for the UFC when it comes to their broadcast deal in this part of the world, but they’re weighing up their options.
Elliott: “We’re in talks with a number of interested parties. Those talks continue, we’re at late stages with a few of them, so we’ll definitely have something which is interesting for the fans. We’re talking to a number of different people.
“BT Sport are great partners of ours and we’re looking forward to the next five months; we’ve got some big shows to get away with them — obviously UFC 196 and UFC 200 being the standout ones at the moment. We’ve got a lot of work still to do on this TV contract and we’re working hard on the next one.”
There has been increasing speculation that Sky Sports are among the interested parties, despite their traditional reluctance to engage with MMA to any great extent. However, the emergence of mainstream stars like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey appears to have convinced them to soften their stance towards the sport, as evidenced by the fact that UFC content now regularly features on Sky Sports’ online platforms.
There was a similarly significant development on that front earlier this week when an editorial partnership with BBC 3 was announced by the UFC. Although it’s not a broadcast deal, a willingness from the BBC to acknowledge MMA is something that would have previously seemed unlikely.
“We’re seeing that with a number of different parties, to be honest,” said Elliott. “Our deal with BBC 3 is an editorial deal, it’s not a commercial deal. We’re there on editorial merit. We’re finding this with a number of different media houses and publishers. People are beginning to take this sport very, very seriously, and so they should.
“When you look around the media seats at our events now, there are a lot more people from different places than there used to be. It’s good to see for us as the sport begins to grow and the momentum is definitely with us. It’s exciting.
“To be recognised by the BBC as an emerging sport and a sport that’s important to a demographic that they’re keen to talk to, it’s a re-enforcement of all the things we’ve been saying to people for a long time.
“It’s great for us as we head towards that kind of mainstream acceptance which I believe the sport deserves. When you look at the fact that Conor McGregor’s fight [against Jose Aldo] was included in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year review, the times definitely are changing.”
The UFC have also been working with 3e for delayed highlight shows in Ireland. Regarding terrestrial TV broadcasters here, Elliott said: “We had discussions with RTÉ last year. We’re happy with our relationship with 3e. Those guys have been good to us.
“I’ve known the team over at RTÉ for a number of years. We’ll keep talking and we’ll be willing to work with anybody who wants to help us to grow this sport. That’s our primary focus at the moment.
“We’ll see what happens in relation to our new TV arrangements in the next few weeks.”
