UFC's Toronto press conference announcements include opening of corporate offices in Canada, hiring of Tom Wright as lead

by James Kimball on May 25, 2010 1:49 PM EDT

UFC President Dana White gathered the troops and headed north for yet another "big announcement(s)" as Zuffa continues on their path of worldwide domination.

There was much speculation in the lead up to today's press conference in Toronto; a new UFC corporate office in Canada, a Canada based The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season, etc.

In the end, the hiring of Tom Wright as new head of UFC Canada was the big story of the day, but the Zuffa brass also touched on a few other noteworthy items as well.

So, without further adieu, here are the highlights and actual announcements that were made during today's presser:

- UFC will indeed open new corporate offices in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Tom Wright, the former Commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the former President of Adidas Canada was tapped as the lead man.

- Preliminary discussions with Ontario officials are underway and the UFC expects nationwide sanctioning in the very near future.

- Zuffa has a goal of holding three events in Canada annually.

- First priority is to have mixed martial arts sanctioned in all ten provinces in Canada, other priorities include opening UFC Gyms as well as pursuing further merchandising and licensing business opportunities.

- The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality show will eventually come to Canada.

So, there you have it. Thrilling, I know. What is the UFC's largest market for business, has now become home to a UFC corporate office.

Vive le Canada!

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Comments

like OMG that is so groundbreaking...like OMG..i just put on my "i give a fuck" t shirt

you know you're having some good sex when you start planning what you're gonna say in the 911 call afterwards...

HellaHectic - banned from over 30 sites and counting...

by HellaHectic on May 25, 2010 1:51 PM EDT reply actions

As small as the announcement seems to some...

it is a big announcement in way. Part of it I think is giving props to Tom Wright as they did for Flash entertainment. Public recognition is important to the people coming in as well as for the people that know them from their previous enterprises. This potentially can bring in new business to the UFC. It may not be much to us as fans, but it does help big sponsors, such as for example, Adidas, to see if it is worth to invest in the UFC.

by fmx on May 25, 2010 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions

if a sponsor cant see by the growth of the ufc over the last 10 years that its a smart move to invest in sponsorship

then there is NOTHING that will convince them…

i mean if adidas cant see what the ufc was in 2000 and what it is in 2010 and say “wow that company is doing some amazing shit, i want to get in on that” then there isnt anything in the world that will convince them

you know you're having some good sex when you start planning what you're gonna say in the 911 call afterwards...

HellaHectic - banned from over 30 sites and counting...

by HellaHectic on May 25, 2010 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Well this is were Tom Wrights experience and trust within Canada comes in...

Blue chip sponsors in the US didn’t just go to the UFC, I’m pretty sure UFC brass had to sell themselves a bit. The right people in the right places will do that for you. Adidas, Nike, and so on will come around, but no matter how successful you are, if you don’t have the right people to actively go after them, then they won’t invest in your company.

by fmx on May 25, 2010 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Do you work in marketing?

"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference."

by atmosphere on May 25, 2010 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Why have we got 3 articles about the same thing?

Almost as pointless as this announcement.

"Kimbo Slice sucks like I've been saying for the last few months, this fucking guy can't fight and he got knocked out in 13 seconds" (Dana White)
"The one thing we know about Kimbo Slice, this guy is a fighter, this guy will come to fight" (Dana White)

by David W-S on May 25, 2010 1:53 PM EDT reply actions

never pointless

this is a search driven business, everything is for a reason

It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.

by Jesse Holland on May 25, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions

It just seems a little unneccessary to me to have 3 articles on the same topic, especially on one that ended up being such a non-story after more Zuffa hype

by David W-S on May 25, 2010 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions

^^^^^^^^ that

you know you're having some good sex when you start planning what you're gonna say in the 911 call afterwards...

HellaHectic - banned from over 30 sites and counting...

by HellaHectic on May 25, 2010 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't be so jealous David

One day the UK will have a UFC office of it’s very own.

Mania is just showing Canada some love. This is big news in T-dot this afternoon.

The REEM is REAL and Fedor will Fall. ~ Muwahahaha !

by Bigger Zino on May 25, 2010 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions

but for fans like us.... *meh

Although my mother did email me an article from TSN. LOL.

Thanks Ma!

The REEM is REAL and Fedor will Fall. ~ Muwahahaha !

by Bigger Zino on May 25, 2010 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Shows how much attention you paid to this press conference, they mentioned the UK office several times

We were the first foreign country to get our own UFC office. Marshall Zelajnic (I think that’s how you spell his name anyway) is the head of it.

My problem isn’t on Mania providing coverage on this announcement but rather because 3 articles on the same topic clutters up the site and splits the comments between 3 pages. It would have made more sense if they just kept the original article for this news in my opinion.

by David W-S on May 25, 2010 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions