The big news coming out of Brazil this week was a lack of ticket sales for UFC Fight Night 28. In talking to some people, we came to two conclusions: The UFC may be over-saturating the market there, and Brazilian fans will come in droves only when high-quality cards are put on.
We have been waiting for the UFC to aggressively push into another market since the Brazilian market exploded. Perhaps we have found one.
Little-known Polish prospect Piotr Hallmann made his presence known at UFC Fight Night 28 with a massive upset of Francisco Trinaldo. Despite being hurt by body kicks in the first round, Hallmann stormed back in the second with the heart of a gladiator to tap out his foe with a nasty kimura.
What is great about the win for Hallmann is that he somewhat put Polish MMA on the map to a wider mainstream audience. To this point, many of the top European fighters not in a major organization come from Poland.
MMA is huge in Poland. If you don’t believe me, just look at what KSW is doing with its live events. With top draws like Mariusz Pudzianowski, Jan Blachowicz and the mythical Mamed Khalidov, KSW is doing huge arenas in the country and making waves in the MMA community.
With that kind of popularity, the UFC needs to tap into that market. Not only does the country have the fanbase, but it also has the talent the UFC needs to give attention to. And Hallmann is just the tip of the iceberg.
There has long been speculation about why Mamed Khalidov will not come over to the UFC. Despite being the top-ranked middleweight not currently in the UFC, people have pointed to his Muslim background as well as his unwillingness to fight outside of Poland as to why he is not with the company. If the UFC were to make regular visits to the area, perhaps it could entice him enough to sign the dotted line.
Then take a look Jan Blachowicz. The light heavyweight has been putting away UFC veterans left and right lately with his well-rounded attack and high-level skills. He has been ready for the big show for a while but has not been given the opportunity.
Despite the signing of Daniel Omielanczuk, who makes his debut later this month at UFC 165, the UFC overlooked a more impressive Polish heavyweight it could have snagged. Damian Grabowski is a once-beaten, tough-as-nails fighter who has seen great success, as his only loss came to former Bellator kingpin Cole Konrad.
Another middleweight who has been handing UFC vets losses on the reg is Michal Materla, the current KSW champion. After knocking out Rodney Wallace, decisioning TUF 3 winner Kendall Grove and outclassing Matt Horwich, Materla is simply a star waiting to shine.
I could go on and on with names that Poland MMA provides, but that would take a long time. Just by looking at the few guys listed here, it’s obvious Poland has a lot to offer the UFC in terms of talent, fans and economic benefit.
So while Piotr Hallmann was attempting to gain some recognition for his homeland, hardcore fans salivated at the possibility of big things in the northern European country. For now we wait, but what stands on the other side of the fence is only good things for the world’s largest MMA promotion.
Polish MMA is on the rise, and it’s time to strike while the iron is hot.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com