TOKYO, Japan – Zuffa Asia Executive Vice President and Managing Director Mark Fischer met with the Japanese press on Monday at Yoshihiro Akiyama’s Cloud Dojo to announce two new local UFC distribution deals and ambitious plans to return to Japan.
Japanese fight enthusiasts will now be able to catch UFC content on their cell phones via TV Bank or through NTT Plala’s “Hikari TV” in addition to the existing UFC WOWOW private satellite TV broadcast, and if Fischer’s aspirations are met, local fans will also be able to attend an event live in Japan.
“Japan is the most advanced and important market for us in Asia so far,” Fischer stated. “We definitely want to hold a major event in Japan as soon as possible. I would say that we’re not ready to announce anything yet but we very much hope to have [an event] later this year or early next year in Japan.”
The new distribution deals are a step forward for the UFC in Japan, but the leading fight promoter is still lacking the network television contract that is essential for expansion in a country with a limited history of pay-per-view.