IN MAY this year, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world, makes its first Philippine visit and it said it is very excited to finally come to Manila, an executive of the organization said.
UFC Asia Executive Vice-President Kenneth Berger speaking at the on-sale ticket announcement for “UFC Fight Night Manila” on Tuesday — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Kenneth Berger, UFC Asia executive vice-president, said the Philippine market is a “perfect fit” for the kind of brand UFC has.
“This is one market that we are happy about because it brings everything for us. Strong fight fan base that understands the sport. Strong media and promotional partners,” Mr. Berger told BusinessWorld in an interview after the on-sale ticket announcement for “UFC Fight Might Manila” on Tuesday at the Solaire Hotel and Casino.
“We are super-excited for it (the event),” he continued.
The first-ever UFC event in the country and the lone UFC fight night that will be staged in Southeast Asia this year, UFC Fight Night Manila will be headlined by the featherweight clash between MMA legends Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (17-4-1) and Urijah “The California Kid” Faber (32-7).
It will also feature four Filipino warriors, including Fil-Am UFC star Mark Muñoz. “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” is set to battle British Luke “The Bigslow” Barnatt in what Mr. Muñoz said is going to be his last fight as he retires from competition to spend more time with his family.
The inclusion of the Mr. Muñoz in the groundbreaking event in May was strategical, said Mr. Berger, saying they recognize that the 37-year-old Muñoz is one of the popular and best Filipino fighters around and local fans would love to see him fight.
“Sure. We have always talked of Mark as one of the best Filipino fighters and he has proven to be a strong competitor. As soon as we put this event on the calendar we felt Mark has to be part of it,” Mr. Berger said.
Founded in 1993, the UFC has gone on to become the top MMA promotion in the world, a fact that Mr. Berger attributed to their “simple” principle of “taking care of the fighters and looking what is best for the fans.”
“If we follow that premise, the fans see the best cards and the fighters will be loyal to the organization. And we have been sticking to that principle and it has been pretty successful,” Mr Berger said.
As far as the Philippine market goes, Mr. Berger said they are looking at it as “very important” moving forward.
“The Philippine market is very important. It is kind of the blueprint of success for us. If we can follow what we have here, it will be a good situation for us,” Mr. Berger said.
Meanwhile, in conjunction with UFC Fight Night Manila, the UFC is launching its first-ever Asian Octagon Girl search in the Philippines. The winner of the search will work alongside UFC star octagon girl Arianny Celeste during the live event in May. Those Interested to join can submit their applications online viawww.ufc.com/octagongirlmanila. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo