The UFC has been a global entity and the biggest combat sports brand on the planet for quite some time. What started off as a more niche sport that pitted different disciplines against each other in the octagon has become what we now know as modern-day MMA, with Dana White and Co’s brand sitting atop the mountain.
Something that become more of a buzzword in business in recent years is “Global Localisation,” with brands looking to establish home bases outside of their native country and continue to build a worldwide fanbase. The key to “Global Localisation” hinges on creating stars in different regions, giving fans hometown or country stars that they will get behind.
More importantly, pay to see fight in an arena or on PPV. Global Localisation is something that UFC’s TKO Group partner WWE started to establish in the late 2010s with the NXT UK brand. NXT UK was seen as the first step in establishing regional versions of the ‘NXT’ brand across the planet, but these plans would be derailed somewhat by the global pandemic in 2020.
The PFL Model
PFL Europe was announced by the Professional Fighters League in 2022, with the company revealing that the brand will all be staged in European countries, broadcast and streamed primetime in Europe, and feature the top emerging European MMA fighters. The idea behind this move was to use PFL Europe as a way to “build” talent in the European market before moving them up to “full fat” PFL.
Dakota Ditcheva’s winning celebration goes viral (Image via PFL/X)A great example of that is British fighter Dakota Ditcheva, who is a star for the company. PFL Europe also gives the company the chance to run regular events in the European market with a dedicated team, as opposed to one-off shows. This is what the UFC may well decide to do in future, with their current “developmental” system being the more independent promotions like Cage Fighters in the UK.
UFC going more and more global
Prior to 2009, the UFC had only run shows in seven different countries. Since 2010, the company has run in over 18 countries. The promotion has shown that they’re continuously looking to branch out as much as possible and bring the brand to as many different fans as they can.
Dana White (Image via TUF)Dana White has made it clear pretty much from the day that he became President of the UFC that he would make the sport bigger than Boxing. Recently on FOX News Channel’s One Nation with Brian Kilmeade, the UFC CEO further elaborated on how the growth of the sport continues to match his vision:
The beautiful thing that I’ve always said since day one, I said this will eventually be the biggest sport in the world. Because no matter what color you are, what country you come from, what language you speak, we’re all humans and fighting is in our DNA… And when you find a guy who is the baddest dude or woman in the world and they come from where you come from and they speak like you speak and they look like you, everybody rallies around them. So, you know, there isn’t a fighter in the world, a country in the world that we can’t find a fighter from.
Dana White via Fox News
What interests me most from that quote is when White mentions how there isn’t “a country in the world that we can’t find a fighter from.” While the UFC may not want to follow the Global Localisation plan exactly like the PFL or WWE, it is clear that they want to find fighters from as many different regions as they can to then get a bigger following in said region.
Where UFC could head in 2025
In terms of countries where the UFC has not yet held an event, South Africa is looking like it could be on the cards for 2025. Dricus Du Plessis beating Sean Strickland for the UFC middleweight championship established him as a big time name in MMA. However, his win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 really put him and South African MMA on the map.
Not only do the UFC have a big name to headline a show in South Africa, but they have also invested in the region. It was revealed back in September that the company will invest $14 million in a Performance Institute on the continent, helping to establish new talent to hopefully become the next big star following DDP.
Dricus Du Plessis is the first South African UFC champion (Source: IMAGO/X)UFC Executive Vice President and Head of International and Content David Shaw revealed in August that the company would absolutely be trying to run a show in South Africa in 2025, following DDP’s win at UFC 305, but the biggest logistical problem were the timezone differences:
I think we’re probably closer than we’ve been in a while (to doing an event in Africa) and there’s significant interest from a few different countries. The Dricus situation is tough, I mean he’s a champion, are we going to take a PPV there at the same timezone as the UK (PPV), we’ve just done the Manchester event so it’s absolutely possible but we also want to make a good first impression. If we’re coming to continental Africa for the first time do we want to do an event in the middle of the night?
David Shaw via UFC presser
Running a show late in the night to appeal to the US-based audience could be tough for South African fans attending live…so perhaps at some point with their investment in the region they could establish a “UFC Africa” branch? I can easily see it happening.
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