At long last, the UFC will be heading to Russia — but what fighters will they be taking with them?
The long March to Moscow is nearly over for the UFC. On Wednesday, the promotion announced that it would host its debut event in Russia in September, at the Olimpiyskiy Arena in Moscow. While no fights have been announced for the card as of yet, it’s the culmination of years of work by the promotion to break into the Russian market, dating back to the Zuffa era. UFC President Dana White has frequently spoken of Russia being a desired destination, but the territory remained a difficult market to get a foothold in.
“Russia is a key part of UFC’s international expansion strategy,” commented David Shaw, Senior Vice President, UFC International and Content in a press release Wednesday. “The demand from our fans to bring a live event to Russia has been overwhelming, and with the vast potential this market holds for us, we knew this was the perfect time to bring UFC FIGHT NIGHT® to Moscow.”
No fights have been announced for the card. Being a Fight Night, however, you can bet that Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor will not be part of the deal. White recently voiced his opinion that a fight of that caliber had to take place in Las Vegas, which serves as the fight capitol of the world.
Tickets for the Moscow event go on general sale Friday, June 1, via Kassir.ru.
