Confirmation comes at the 12:35 mark of the press conference highlights. Props to MMAFighting.com for the video.
Leading up to last night’s historic UFC on Fox broadcast, there were rumors that the winner of Benson Henderson vs. Clay Guida would be fighting Frankie Edgar in Japan for the UFC lightweight title. As you know, Ben Henderson went on to defeat Clay Guida by unanimous decision in a Fight of the Night winning performance. Now, it has been confirmed that Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar will be the main event of the UFC’s return to Japan.
Since losing to Anthony Pettis back at WEC 53, Ben Henderson has gone 3-0 in the UFC. Even though all three victories have come by unanimous decision, Henderson has proven that he is incapable of being involved in a boring fight. Likewise, Frankie Edgar is coming off of a come from behind fourth round TKO over Gray Maynard at UFC 136 in October.
Confirmation comes at the 12:35 mark of the press conference highlights. Props to MMAFighting.com for the video.
Leading up to last night’s historic UFC on Fox broadcast, there were rumors that the winner of Benson Henderson vs. Clay Guida would be fighting Frankie Edgar in Japan for the UFC lightweight title. As you know, Ben Henderson went on to defeat Clay Guida by unanimous decision in a Fight of the Night winning performance. Now, it has been confirmed that Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar will be the main event of the UFC’s return to Japan.
Since losing to Anthony Pettis back at WEC 53, Ben Henderson has gone 3-0 in the UFC. Even though all three victories have come by unanimous decision, Henderson has proven that he is incapable of being involved in a boring fight. Likewise, Frankie Edgar is coming off of a come from behind fourth round TKO over Gray Maynard at UFC 136 in October.
UFC Japan is set to take place on February 26, 2012. In order to accommodate the fact that no one in North America wants to wake up at 9 AM for a PPV card, the show is set to start at 10 AM in Japan. Waking up before noon on a weekend? That’s a level of dedication that our Gaijin asses just can’t understand.
We’ll keep you posted as more fights get confirmed for this card.
(I can already hear her voice, caressing me like a newborn and telling me that everything will be OK.)
When Dana White first announced that the UFC planned to hold both a live event in Japan and Las Vegas on the same night, many of us sat back and scratched our heads, wondering what in the hell “The Baldfather” was hoping to achieve with such a maneuver and more importantly, how he would pull it off. When we found out we would be treated to a free Japan card followed by a Vegas PPV card, most of us rejoiced, but still found ourselves doubting the likelihood of such a exorbitant event actually coming to fruition. Well, we hate to say we told you so, but as it turns out, you won’t have to roll out of bed at 10 a.m. to catch the free Japan card. Matter of fact, you won’t be getting a free card at all.
(I can already hear her voice, caressing me like a newborn and telling me that everything will be OK.)
When Dana White first announced that the UFC planned to hold both a live event in Japan and Las Vegas on the same night, many of us sat back and scratched our heads, wondering what in the hell “The Baldfather” was hoping to achieve with such a maneuver and more importantly, how he would pull it off. When we found out we would be treated to a free Japan card followed by a Vegas PPV card, most of us rejoiced, but still found ourselves doubting the likelihood of such a exorbitant event actually coming to fruition. Well, we hate to say we told you so, but as it turns out, you won’t have to roll out of bed at 10 a.m. to catch the free Japan card. Matter of fact, you won’t be getting a free card at all.
In an effort to ensure that their return to Japan goes successfully, Zuffa has not only elevated the card to pay-per-view status, but has signed a deal with Japanese advertising mogul Dentsu Inc. to help promote the card to as wide a fan base as possible. Currently, the UFC has yet to achieve a mass television deal in Japan, and is only broadcast on the rather private WOWOW and NTT Plala’s Hikari networks. Though it has yet to be reached, a mass distribution deal could open the gates for local programming in Japan, which would be a huge boost to the UFC’s ever-expanding market.
Though we will now be forced to pay for the card, you gotta believe this is a good move by DW and company, who at first seemed as if they were underselling the Japan card to generate interest in the Vegas one. Considering the globe spanning events that the UFC has planned for next year, not to mention the enormous following MMA has in Japan, it would be pretty foolish to undersell or under-promote the first Japanese card in over ten years. But from the looks of it, everything is going to be fine, until the injury curse comes back that is.
Now, either the UFC is teaching him a lesson for wanting “Anderson Silva Money” for stepping in on short notice to face Rashad Evans at UFC 133 or they want to save the Japanese-Brazilian fighter for its February 26 return to Japan. Either way, Lyoto, who only fought once in 2011 at UFC 129 in April, won’t even be making Strikeforce Challengers money the rest of the year. Lucky for him he has the Knockout of the Night bonus he got for retiring Randy Couture and knocking out his tooth.
(“Look at me damn it. I said I’m sorry. I even sent you a brownie basket.”)
Now, either the UFC is teaching him a lesson for wanting “Anderson Silva Money” for stepping in on short notice to face Rashad Evans at UFC 133 or they want to save the Japanese-Brazilian fighter for its February 26 return to Japan. Either way, Lyoto, who only fought once in 2011 at UFC 129 in April, won’t even be making Strikeforce Challengers money the rest of the year. Lucky for him he has the Knockout of the Night bonus he got for retiring Randy Couture and knocking out his tooth.
Machida tweeted late last night that he likely won’t be fighting again until next year, but didn’t give a reason why.
You may recall that White prematurely announced last week that Machida would be taking on Phil Davis at UFC 140 in Toronto and then pulled a 180 on the news when he was informed that Davis was still recovering from knee surgery. I guess Dana’s still sore at us. Otherwise he might have considered one of our viable replacement opponents for “The Dragon” to keep him busy instead of putting him on the shelf.
“When we go to Japan next year, we are going to be putting on a show at the same time in Las Vegas,” [Dana White] said…When asked how the company was going to handle a dual-show evening from a television standpoint, White just smiled and said, “You’ll see.”
Keep in mind that “you’ll see” may be code for “I have no fucking clue at this point.”
“When we go to Japan next year, we are going to be putting on a show at the same time in Las Vegas,” [Dana White] said…When asked how the company was going to handle a dual-show evening from a television standpoint, White just smiled and said, “You’ll see.”
Keep in mind that “you’ll see” may be code for “I have no fucking clue at this point.”
The UFC’s 2/26 Japan show is slated is kick off at 10 a.m. local time in order to have it sync up with the usual PPV start times in North America. Given the UFC’s new deals with FOX and Fuel, they certainly have the broadcast capabilities to pull off a simultaneous show in the States. The question is, why would they run simultaneous shows and risk splitting their audience? And considering that Burt Watson can’t be in two places at once, how can they pull it off logistically?
It’s impossible to guess what’s in DW’s head sometimes. Stay tuned.
(“…In situations that the Planeteers cannot resolve alone, they can combine their powers to summon ‘Prime Sakuraba‘, a magical entity who possesses all of their powers magnified.” / Photo via BloodyElbow)
The UFC held a press conference earlier today in Tokyo, formally announcing their plans to host an event at the Saitama Super Arena on February 26th, 2012. No matchups were announced, but Japanese stars including Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Takanori Gomi, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Hatsu Hioki, and Michihiro Omigawa were all mentioned as likely participants. Former PRIDE stars like Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Quinton Jackson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are also possibilities.
Though the UFC held four events in Japan from 1997-2000, this will be the first Japanese show organized by the UFC while under Zuffa ownership. The prelims will begin at 10 a.m. local time (with the main card starting at noon) so that the event can be broadcast live at the usual time slot for North American viewers. It’s not clear yet whether UFC Japan 2012 will be a pay-per-view or “Fight Night” card, and no details were given regarding the event’s local broadcast plans.
Following a recorded video message from Dana White at the press conference, Zuffa LLC Asia Executive Vice President and Managing Director Mark Fischer addressed the media in attendance, saying:
(“…In situations that the Planeteers cannot resolve alone, they can combine their powers to summon ‘Prime Sakuraba‘, a magical entity who possesses all of their powers magnified.” / Photo via BloodyElbow)
The UFC held a press conference earlier today in Tokyo, formally announcing their plans to host an event at the Saitama Super Arena on February 26th, 2012. No matchups were announced, but Japanese stars including Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Takanori Gomi, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Hatsu Hioki, and Michihiro Omigawa were all mentioned as likely participants. Former PRIDE stars like Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Quinton Jackson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are also possibilities.
Though the UFC held four events in Japan from 1997-2000, this will be the first Japanese show organized by the UFC while under Zuffa ownership. The prelims will begin at 10 a.m. local time (with the main card starting at noon) so that the event can be broadcast live at the usual time slot for North American viewers. It’s not clear yet whether UFC Japan 2012 will be a pay-per-view or “Fight Night” card, and no details were given regarding the event’s local broadcast plans.
Following a recorded video message from Dana White at the press conference, Zuffa LLC Asia Executive Vice President and Managing Director Mark Fischer addressed the media in attendance, saying:
“We want to let everyone know that we will be bringing the same high level of UFC competition, the same world class show and presentation, and great fights and the greatest athletes in the world to Japan…Let me also say that while UFC Japan in 2012 will be the first event for Zuffa in Asia, it certainly won’t be the last. We hope to make UFC Japan an annual fixture on our calendar and we also have plans to follow-up with a series of high quality events across Asia.”
While the UFC’s return to Brazil last month represented a joyfully symbolic homecoming, the history of MMA in Japan over the last five years has been that of scandal, opposition, and a growing apathy among fans — and according to FightOpinion’s Zach Arnold, the UFC’s February show at the Saitama Super Arena won’t do much to change that:
“Think about how insulting it is to the Japanese fans to tell them that this show is going to start at 10 AM in the morning. The kind of people willing to show up for an event like that for that time frame are really hardcore fans. UFC does not have a substantial hardcore MMA fan base to work with in Japan and the hardcore MMA fans remaining in Japan have a very mixed opinion about UFC as a product…UFC cannot, with a straight face, look at the Japanese fans in the eye and tell them that the Saitama Super Arena show is all about them when you’re starting the damn event at 10 AM in the morning so Americans can watch it on PPV live…
Which reminds me of today’s UFC presser in which a VTR (video tape recording) of Dana White was played to the media. So, why wasn’t he at the Japanese press conference? Because he’s getting ready to do press in Las Vegas for the upcoming Georges St. Pierre/Nick Diaz fight in late October. In our opinion, Dana White sent the message to the Japanese fans that he wouldn’t even show up in Japan to do the presser for his own vanity show…
As I stated before, UFC has money to burn on a Japanese joy ride and what Dana wants, Dana gets. This is going to be his grand ‘ol party to say screw you to the ghost of PRIDE in PRIDE’s old home arena. This is his message to the Japanese MMA fans that what promoters served them was inherently wrong and that he’s going to show the fans ‘the right way’ to produce an MMA show…
You’re not going to build a foothold in the Japanese marketplace without a major broadcast over-the-air network in Japan pushing the product. UFC is not a Japanese company and they do not allow outsiders to control their matchmaking, two aspects which are mandatory in getting a network television deal with an outlet like Fuji TV. And that’s if a major Japanese TV network is even interested, which they are not right now because of what a dirty cesspool the fight game has truly become in the country. Unless circumstances change over the months to come, I don’t know how one can classify the current behavior of the UFC’s return to Japan as a serious long-term business proposition.”
Not every observer is going to be as cynical as this, but Arnold’s right to doubt how much of an impact this will have locally. The sport has officially fallen out of favor in Japan, and a card full of native fighters who have previously been smashed in the UFC isn’t going to generate the kind of rabid interest we just saw in Rio. Plus, the time-slot thing: Is a 10 a.m. show insulting for Japanese fans, or is the UFC right to put Western fans first?
Filed under: UFC, News, JapanTOKYO – For the first time in more than 10 years, and for the first time in the Zuffa era, the UFC is finally set to invade Japan.
UFC President Dana White and Zuffa LLC Asia Executive Vice President and Managing Director …
TOKYO – For the first time in more than 10 years, and for the first time in the Zuffa era, the UFC is finally set to invade Japan.
UFC President Dana White and Zuffa LLC Asia Executive Vice President and Managing Director Mark Fischer made the announcement on Tuesday at the Shinjuku Wald 9 Theater, revealing that the world’s leading MMA promotion will head to the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Feb. 26, 2012.
It is also not yet known if the UFC Japan event will be part of the numbered UFC series or a “Fight Night” event. Fischer stated, “We’re not identifying that today but it will be, you can be assured, a major, major event here.”
“It’s been over 10 years since a UFC event was held in Japan and we’re pumped to bring the fastest growing sport in the world there once again,” said UFC President Dana White via video message. “Japan has played a huge role in getting the sport to where it is today. UFC stars such as [Quinton] “Rampage” Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, [Antonio Rodrigo] “Minotauro” Nogueira all made names for themselves fighting in the Pride organization and dozens more fought in front of the passionate Japanese fans at some point in their careers. Japan has also produced world class fighters such as [Yoshihiro] Akiyama, [Takanori] Gomi and Yushin Okami. They have all headlined major UFC events all over the world. Now, this February, the wait is finally over – we’re coming back to Japan.”
Mark Fischer, who was also responsible for the NBA’s expansion in Asia, noted the economic benefits associated with the UFC returning to Japan.
“To give another idea of the scope of this event, it will literally be witnessed by millions of fans all over the world,” stated Fischer. “Moreover, this event will be a boon for Japan’s economy. For example, UFC 100 in Las Vegas generated more than $51 million for the local economy. In Sydney, Australia, our two events generated over $30 million for the local economy. We’re pleased to bring the similarly anticipated event to Saitama and the greater Tokyo area.”
The Saitama Super Arena, the former home of the defunct Pride Fighting Championships, and current home to DREAM, will be configured for 20,000 seats.
Fischer also made it clear that it will not take the UFC another 10 years to return to Japan after this February, giving the outline behind the UFC’s planned expansion into Asia.
“Let me also say that while UFC Japan in 2012 will be the first event for Zuffa in Asia, it certainly won’t be the last,” said Fischer. “We hope to make UFC Japan an annual fixture on our calendar and we also have plans to follow-up with a series of high quality events across Asia,”
To fit with American broadcast plans, the UFC Japan event is scheduled to begin 10:00 a.m. local time, with the main card running from 12:00 noon to approximately 3:00 p.m. No details were given as to the event’s local broadcast plans, however the UFC currently has deals in place with TV Bank, NTT Plala’s “Hikari TV” and WOWOW satellite TV.
The UFC first visited Japan in Dec. 21, 1997 for “Ultimate Japan,” an event which saw the birth of Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba. The UFC returned twice more in November 1999 and April 2000 for UFC 23 and UFC 25 respectively, but the upcoming Japanese UFC event will mark the first time the promotion has visited while under the Zuffa banner.
TOKYO – For the first time in more than 10 years, and for the first time in the Zuffa era, the