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https://scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3172268/ufc-275-teixeira-and-shevchenko-put-belts Mixed Martial Arts
UFC 275: Teixeira and Shevchenko put belts on line, promoter returns to Singapore with world title and PPV firsts for Asia
- UFC 275 is set to go down on June 12 at the Singapore Indoor Arena – marking Southeast Asia’s first world title bouts, and first PPV event
- ‘It just it speaks to the pent-up demand. We want it to come out with a big splash and this is how we’re going to do it,’ says UFC’s Asia boss
Glover Teixeira celebrates beating Jan Blachowicz in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight at UFC 267. Photo: Zuffa LLC
UFC promised Asia MMA fans a ‘jam-packed fight week’ that would be one to remember, as it announced a return to Singapore on Tuesday for a blockbuster event featuring several world title fights.
With fight boss Dana White highlighting “an absolutely stacked card” for UFC 275, the organisation also hinted that news regarding the involvement of big-name fighters from Southeast Asia was “on the horizon”
And in a first for the region, the event, which will be held at Singapore Indoor Arena on June 12, will also be pay-per-view.
Among the fights already slated for June, are Brazilian light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira (33-7) facing off against the No 2-ranked Czech Jiri Prochazka (28-3-1), while the Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (22-3) will put her belt on the line against the No 5-ranked Brazilian Taila Santos (19-1).
The event will mark the first time the UFC has hosted title fights in Southeast Asia, as well as the region’s first pay-per-view event, as it continues to rekindle its global ambitions as the world increasingly adapts to life with Covid-19.
“It just speaks to the pent-up demand that we’ve had over the past three years for this – taking it to another level with a pay-per-view event,” Kevin Chang, UFC senior vice-president, Asia-Pacific, told the Post.
“Singapore made sense, because of their [Covid-19] policies and the way that they’re handling things in the pandemic. We know the place, we’ve been there four times, it’s just a very favourable environment for us to go. We want it to come out with a big splash and this is how we’re going to do it.”
It will be the fifth event the UFC has staged in Singapore, but the first since UFC Fight Night: Maia v Askren in October 2019 – and the first since the global pandemic put the UFC’s expansion into Asia on hold.
Other bouts announced for June 12 include Australia’s former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker (23-6) against Italy’s former title challenger Marvin Vettori (17-5-1), and the veteran Korean bantamweight Kang Kyung-ho (17-9, 1 NC) against Brazil’s Saimon Oliveira (18-4).
There was also the promise of more announcements to come, specifically with Asian fighters to the fore.
Chang hedged when asked about the subject, and only said Asian fighters would “be on the horizon and we’ll be able to definitively know soon. We’re certainly looking”.
Valentina Shevchenko (right) punches Brazil’s Jennifer Maia in their women’s flyweight championship bout at UFC 255. Photo: Zuffa LLC
The best-case scenario for Asian fans in that regard would be the return to the cage of China’s former strawweight champion Zhang Weili (21-3) and the buzz has been building about a possible rematch for the Handan-born slugger with fellow former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
The pair staged the fight of the year in March 2020, as Zhang defended her title across five torrid rounds in Las Vegas – and Poland’s Jedrzejczyk has been increasingly vocal about wanting a rematch.
For their part, the UFC has dodged any questions as to how close that rematch might be to reality – outside organisation head Dana White saying “that’s the fight that makes sense” back on March 6.
Regardless, UFC 275 already comes steep in connections with Asia’s vast fight scene.
Glover Teixeira (left) takes down Jan Blachowicz of Poland in the UFC light heavyweight championship fight at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Zuffa LLC
Light-heavyweight challenger Prochazka has a massive fan base in Japan thanks to his title run through the Rizin FF promotion and because of the 29-year-old’s explosive style of fighting. Meanwhile the 34-year-old Shevchenko – rated the best woman on the UFC’s books, pound-for-pound – carved her way through Asia’s Muay Thai and kick-boxing promotions on her way to the top in MMA.
“Jiri has been a champion in Asia and he has a local relevance in that way but he’s also just an exciting talent,” Chang said. “Glover is just an amazing veteran [at 42] and he has his hands full. Then you have Valentina, widely regarded as the greatest going.
“Santos is a legitimate challenger, she’s on a four- fight win streak and she’s tough as nails. Then there’s Whitaker and Vettori who both need a win to get back in the title picture in their division. We have more announcements for fight week coming soon and we’re going to blow this thing out of the water.”