The Ultimate Fighting Championship looks to go international with upcoming events in Scotland and Brazil, while another event in Abu Dhabi looks uncertain.
UFC president Dana White confirmed that the promotion would be heading to Scotland for the first time in May. The event is expected to be UFC Fight Night 25 and MMAjunkie.com spoke to sources who say the show will go down at the Braehead Arena in city of Renfrewshire in the UK.
White will be heading to Rio de Janeiro next Wednesday, Dec. 15, for a press conference in what many are anticipating will be the announcement of the UFC’s return to Brazil. Tatame.com is reporting that the UFC is planning an event in August in Rio de Janeiro at the HSBC Arena which was built for the 2007 Pan-Am Games. Joining the UFC president at the press conference will reportedly be Lorenzo Fertitta, Anderson Silva, Maurício “Shogun” Rua, José Aldo, Vitor Belfort, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos and Royce Gracie.
The UFC President also noted recently in Montreal that the upcoming UFC 128 event might not take place in the city of Abu Dhabi, or even in the country of the United Arab Emirates. The event is rumored for March and would have seen the promotion return to the small middle eastern country since it debuted with UFC 112. No rumors have surfaced as to an alternative location at this time.