These 4 Non-US Cities Should Host A UFC Event For The First Time

It is official: the UFC is returning to the Balkans.

On Monday, the world’s largest MMA promotion announced that it would be hosting a Fight Night event in Belgrade, Serbia on August 1. It will mark the second UFC card in the former Yugoslavia after a 2017 Fight Night event in Zagreb, Croatia.

In light of this, here are four more cities that deserve to hold a UFC event for the first time, whether it be this year or the next.

4) Guangzhou, China

The UFC’s expansion to China has been a very successful one. Weili Zhang has become a strawweight champion; Xiaonan Yan has competed for that title; and the likes of Yadong Song, Mingyang Zhang, and Cong Wang have become ranked fighters. There is also the Road to UFC program, which has been dominated by Chinese fighters since its revival in 2022.

Yet, the promotion has always avoided Guangzhou, preferring to set its foot in nearby Shenzhen and Macau. That is a shame, because Guangzhou is the third largest city in China and an economic powerhouse in its own right. Maybe next year will be its time…

3) Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch is the second-largest city in New Zealand and the largest in the country’s South Island. It also happens to have a new domed stadium in Te Kaha, which opened late last month.

Now, imagine this scenario: light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg making his return next year before more than 30,000 of his fellow Kiwis. Add the likes of Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France, and Michelle Montague; and it will be a homecoming event for the ages.

2) Guadalajara, Mexico

Mexico has long been considered a boxing haven, but it has lately become a breeding ground for top-tier MMA talent. Alexa Grasso and Brandon Moreno are former champions, while Yair Rodriguez and Irene Aldana have competed for titles.

So far, Mexico City has hosted most of the country events, with a November 2015 sojourn in Monterrey the sole outlier. There is, however, another major city that deserves the spotlight: Guadalajara, the state capital of Jalisco and the home of Lobo Gym.

Grasso and Aldana, among others, train there, so a homecoming is only natural for them.

1) Manaus, Brazil

Manaus is considered one of the most picturesque cities in the world, being located deep within the Amazon rainforest. It also happens to be a breeding ground for combat sports. Jungle Fight, one of MMA’s foremost regional promotions, was founded here, and the likes of Jose and Diego Lopes were born in the city.

For years, however, it has been largely neglected when it comes to the global stage of MMA. If places no one has ever heard of like Barueri and Uberlandia can host events (and they both did in 2014!), why not Manaus?

End Of My UFC Rant

Four new cities in as many countries – that seems like a lot, but that is just the tip of the iceberg, as they say. There are other places the UFC deserves to return to and debut in.

Stateside, the Bay Area, and San Francisco in particular, have been repeatedly overlooked despite being one of the country’s most popular urban areas. On the other side, Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena is thriving once again after a major renovation that concluded in 2023.

Across the Pacific, Japan has seen a resurgence in how its fighters fare in the UFC. Tatsuro Taira is challenging for the title next month, while Kyoji Horiguchi has reestablished himself as a top fighter since his return. Other names like Rei Tsuruya, Rinya Nakamura, and Mizuki Inoue have also come to the forefront.

The presence of ONE and Rizin should not deter Dana White from returning to the “Land of the Rising Sun”. It can occur either back in the Tokyo area, or somewhere new like Okinawa, where Taira was born.

Lastly, there is the lucrative prospect of the promotion finally entering Africa. The PFL may have hosted the continent’s first major MMA events, but with Francis Ngannou gone, it is unknown whether that commitment will last. If it wavers, it will represent a major chance at a steal for White…