Through no fault of their own, the UFC is set to make its long-awaited return to China with a visit to the Shanghai Indoor Stadium. It has been four years since the sport was last held in a Chinese location, but that is set to come to an end with a date scheduled for December.
Dana White has revealed that December 9 has been pencilled in as a date pending local governing authority in which Chinese fans will be able to experience some of the hardest-hitting MMA action that takes place in the Octagon.
China’s return was always likely
The sport is among one of the fastest-growing in the country in terms of its popularity, with many enjoying what they see. China was always likely to be a nation that would see the UFC return at some point, despite its popularity.
The sport has always looked to try and increase its exposure and attract new fans. With China’s population over 1 billion, it is a market that would always be considered attractive once it became viable again. The Asian country has also been rumored to be a place the MMA sport returns to, and the latest news appears to confirm this.
The UFC will complete a return to Brazil (Sao Paulo) at the beginning of November, thus showing that the promotion is willing to operate in markets that it is familiar with once again now rules permit it.
What will the UFC event likely look like?
Event details are largely unknown at this moment, with the headline fight yet to be confirmed. However, while information is a little sparse, fight fans and enthusiasts do already have some insight into what they could expect once December 9 comes.
The event will be billed as another ‘UFC Fight Night’ event, and it will be a program that consists of numerous bouts that have a lot on the line. Among those are the bouts that make up the ‘Road to UFC.’ This program sees athletes compete against each other as they look to try and obtain a professional fight contract with the promotion.
It has also been confirmed that there will be a number of Chinese fighters appearing on the card, which will undoubtedly appeal to the local audience. These fights could also provide viewers in other parts of the world a chance to see fighters that they would not typically see. It could give viewers around the world an opportunity to look at enhancing their sports betting experiences as they could consider different fighter UFC odds from the ones that they may usually consider when wagering on the events that take place.
What happened at the last UFC event in China?
China has already hosted a total of three UFC events already, and if it were not for the pandemic, it is likely to have hosted numerous more since. The last time the promotion was in the Asian country was in August 2019, when viewers were able to see an incredible performance.
The UFC Fight Night event that was held was headlined by two of the top female athletes at the time in the strawweight division, with Jessica Andrade and Zhang Weili going up against each other for the title. The Brazilian was the defending champion in the bout but would be completely destroyed by her Chinese foe.
Weili required just 42 seconds to defeat the South American as she launched a barrage of strikes on her opponent and put her country on the UFC map. She has since been an impressive athlete and has helped continue to build the appeal that the sport has in a nation that the UFC has invested heavily in.
There have been many Chinese athletes who have emerged in the sport since 2019, meaning a return to Shanghai could be an exciting prospect for the promotion and the future of the sport.
