The UFC will continue to increase its global presence in 2015, with the revealing of 23 live events scheduled to take place outside of the United States. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the UFC is set to hold 23 events outside of the U.S. next year, as well as 22 events inside the U.S. for a total of 45 mixed martial events. This number matches the number the UFC said would be on the schedule during the #TheTimeIsNow press conference, although now we have a better idea of just how exactly the events will be divided up. According to the article, the UFC is planning events in the following countries for the first time: Russia, South Korea, Scotland, and a Latin American country such as Panama or Costa Rica. All of these locations make a lot of sense for the UFC. We all knew it was just a matter of time before Russia would be on the schedule considering all of the talent on the roster from that country, while the same exact thing can be said for South Korea. Scotland isn’t a huge shocker either, with Joanne Calderwood leading her country’s charge, while Panama and Costa Rica make sense considering the UFC’s commitment to finding talent in Latin America. Of course, these are just the new countries the UFC is going to visit. With 23 events in total outside of the U.S., the company is fully expected to return to places they have already been to and had success in for events next year, like Ireland, China, Japan, and of course Brazil. As well, new “The Ultimate Fighter” seasons are expected to be filmed in Japan and the Middle East, in addition to a season that’s already confirmed for Brazil (the fourth season of TUF that country will have had). The UFC sees TUF as a tool designed to cultivate new talent in these new countries, so expect it to be part of the international focus going forward. What does this all mean? It means the UFC will continue to assert its dominance on the global stage, further establishing itself as a global brand as it looks to increase its revenues after a down 2014 year. The UFC clearly knows the domestic pay-per-view market is dwindling, and so the answer to that in part, at least in their eyes, is continuing to expand on the global horizon, and that makes sense. 2014 was a big year for the UFC as far as going to new countries, but 2015 is going to be even bigger, and as a fan of the sport it’s an exciting time as it’s always cool to see the UFC enter new markets, although of course with 45 weekend events set for next year, hardcore fans will have a hard time balancing their social life. But then again, the same thing could be said for this year. Basically, expect a lot of fights next year, and as a fight fan, no words could be sweeter to hear.
