UFC probably not in Africa before 2024

The years pass, Africans shine at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) with champions like Cameroonian Francis Ngannou or Nigerian Israel Adesanya. More and more fighters linked to this continent join the best mixed martial arts (MMA) league in the world. And yet, it has never organized an event on African soil.

On the sidelines of the very first UFC gala in Paris, Francis Ngannou thus reveals a hint of fatalism. ” It is not an upcoming project at least from a strategic point of viewhe slips to rfi.fr. Geographically, the UFC is perhaps close to Africa being in Paris. But strategically, it’s not that close. It must be recognized that there is still a lot of work in Africa and that the UFC does not attract them “. The king of heavyweights adds, about the American company: “ Three or four years ago, I had started conversations with the UFC on Africa and I understood that it should not be easy. It’s possible but not easy, especially if you want to do things the right way. »

Nigerian and South African markets targeted

Despite lobbying from Ngannou, Adesanya and ex-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, we will have to wait a while longer. Lawrence Epstein, vice-president of the UFC, confirms that there is still work to be done before going to the last continent where his organization has never been. But he assures that we are not so far from the mark. ” It may not be in 2023he explains to rfi.fr on the sidelines of a conference organized by the French-American Foundation. But we have been working for the last few years to try to organize a first UFC event in sub-Saharan Africa. We really want to get there. We have studied the broadcast rooms and infrastructures [en Afrique, Ndlr]. There are a few challenges. But we think markets like Nigeria and South Africa are getting a lot closer to having the infrastructure to actually hold an event there. “. He concludes : ” I would rather expect that in 2024 we will organize our first event there. »