Will UFC be a hit in China with a Shanghai bout – and a home-grown contender?
Two months after the White House fight night, UFC will bring one of US President Donald Trump’s favourite sports to Shanghai
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), one of US President Donald Trump’s favourite sports organisations, is set to hold a tournament in Shanghai next month, part of a broad effort by American sports leagues to tap into the world’s leading leisure and entertainment market.
Ticket sales will open on Friday, according to the organiser.
UFC is not alone in eyeing the emerging opportunities in China’s sport sector as the country’s huge middle-class cohort – larger than the total US population – embraces new sports and appears willing to loosen their purse strings to spectate.
The promoter is applying a similar star-driven strategy to the one adopted by the US’ National Basketball Association, which penetrated China’s market with great success after the Houston Rockets selected Yao Ming, a Shanghai native, as the first overall pick in its 2002 draft.
The move provided the league with a direct connection to Chinese audiences. UFC has emulated this approach, placing Chinese stars at the centre of its fight cards.