UFC returns to Japan with event at Saitama Super Arena on Feb. 26, 2012
by Geno Mrosko on Sep 6, 2011 2:02 AM EDT
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Someone call The Vapors, the UFC is turning Japanese.
Ultimate Fighting Championship will make its long awaited return to "The Land of the Rising Sun" when it holds an event at the Saitama Super Arena on Feb. 26, 2012.
The promotion officially announced its intention to head back to Japan for the first time since Dec. 1997 late last night on its Twitter account.
Information has slowly trickled out (via Daniel Herbertson) with details on the show. The Saitama Super Arena will be reconfigured to seat around 20,000 spectators with the fights starting at 10 a.m. locally. Why is this good news for fans stateside? Because it means the event will air live on pay-per-view at its normal time.
No fights have been announced for the card as of now, as that likely won't happen until sometime in November of this year, but UFC is reportedly looking at making Japan a destination spot for events, no different than what the promotion plans to do in Brazil.
Speaking of which, the event early next year will be booked and promoted in the same vein as UFC 134: "Rio" this past Aug. 27. That means plenty of local events and you can expect the card to be stacked with Japanese fighters.
There's certainly no shortage on the current roster.
The promotion has one Japanese show to its credit prior to the Zuffa regime: UFC 15.5 "Ultimate Japan" on Dec. 21, 1997, from the Yokohama Arena featuring Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort, Frank Shamrock and Kazuahi Sakuraba, among others.
Today, the UFC has no shortage of Japanese stars, as well as fighters who made their names in the early days of PRIDE FC, K-1 and Shooto.
Although his stock isn't exactly at its highest, Yushin Okami is available after losing his middleweight championship fight against Anderson Silva. Former PRIDE Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi could be tapped for a 2012 homecoming and what Japanese MMA fan wouldn't show up to boo Yoshihiro Akiyama?
That's without mentioning the fact that current Strikeforce champions Alistair Overeem and Dan Henderson are both in negotiations to return to UFC. Hello, Japan for the both of them?
It could be quite the event, assuming the Triads that allegedly tried to kill Bob Sapp and run PRIDE outof town don't show up and try to pull a Whitey Bulger and strong-arm Dana White.
Either way, UFC is headed back to Japan on Feb. 26, 2012. Excited?
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in the words of biden
this is a big fucking deal
The artful muppet formerly known as KrmtDfrog.
Please read my sardonic wit and over-blown sense of self over at headkicklegend.com
great news!
this should be a huge show..
expect alot of former PrideFC stars to be on the card.. wanderlei is probably already begging to be on the card..
im always open to wagers! last fight vs Phasebook = Victory. Next up, ANS.
Official Record: 4-2
(resume listed in profile)
He will beg to be on it. But that being said I don’t even think Dana will let him fight again he’s beginning to tarnish his legacy badly and I’m a huge wandy fan and I can say I don’t wanna see him fight anymore.
by J.Hoffer on Sep 6, 2011 2:31 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
i would like to see wand retire too, but i doubt he wants to... Wanderlei vs Akyama would be fan favorite for the Japanese..
only problem is i think akyama is dropping to WW.
im always open to wagers! last fight vs Phasebook = Victory. Next up, ANS.
Official Record: 4-2
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by stinky~fingers on Sep 6, 2011 2:34 AM EDT up reply actions
And the Japanese would go crazy for Overeem vs Brock..
im always open to wagers! last fight vs Phasebook = Victory. Next up, ANS.
Official Record: 4-2
(resume listed in profile)
by stinky~fingers on Sep 6, 2011 2:35 AM EDT up reply actions
if by crazy you mean hearing crickets chirp for 3 hours with an occasional spattering of applause
circa regna tonat
by sir.tickleberry on Sep 6, 2011 3:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Its about damn time
Melvin vs Gomi would be awesome but I really doubt it happens =( I doubt any Japanese fans care much about Okami especially after that sad sad performance.
If you dont like drugs then dont do them.....give them to me!
The Saitama Super Arena will be reconfigured to seat around 20,000
How many seats did Pride FC sell at the Saitama Super Arena? (No I’m not hating, just wondering)
The dude abides
you're thinking of the Tokyo Dome..
saitama super arena is alot smaller.
im always open to wagers! last fight vs Phasebook = Victory. Next up, ANS.
Official Record: 4-2
(resume listed in profile)
by stinky~fingers on Sep 6, 2011 2:19 AM EDT up reply actions
i didn't even notice your quote, i thought u were implying somethig else.. PrideFC would do around 40k in that arena.
it is strange that they would “reconfigure” the arena that already could hold 50k people(for mma) to 20k..
im always open to wagers! last fight vs Phasebook = Victory. Next up, ANS.
Official Record: 4-2
(resume listed in profile)
by stinky~fingers on Sep 6, 2011 2:25 AM EDT up reply actions
thats
what I was wondering. For some reason I thought they did a lot more than 40k in Saitama
The dude abides
by biggerLebowski on Sep 6, 2011 2:46 AM EDT up reply actions
what's the cap of the Tokyo Dome?
I remember the pride shows selling shit tons of tix
The dude abides
by biggerLebowski on Sep 6, 2011 2:48 AM EDT up reply actions
i dont know the capacity, but i do know that PrideFC did 70k at the tokyo dome..
i remember shows at Saitama holding upwords to 50k at times.. my guess was around 40k average.. id have to look it up to know for sure.
im always open to wagers! last fight vs Phasebook = Victory. Next up, ANS.
Official Record: 4-2
(resume listed in profile)
by stinky~fingers on Sep 6, 2011 2:55 AM EDT up reply actions
i looked up a couple events at different stadiums
Tokyo Dome cap -55k, but that says for baseball.. Pride Total Elimination 2003 had 67, 450 in attendance
Saitama Super arena cap – 37k
ShockWave 2004 did 48K
shockWave 2005 did 49k..
PrideFC also did 91, 107 (attendance record mma) at the Tokyo National Stadium for ShockWave/Dynamite 2002 event with K1
im always open to wagers! last fight vs Phasebook = Victory. Next up, ANS.
Official Record: 4-2
(resume listed in profile)
by stinky~fingers on Sep 6, 2011 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions
37000 people is a lot more then 20,000
the ufc is filled with tons of fighters who are legends in japan! actually they are filled with fighters who are huge draws in japan that arent even that big of a draw in the usa…so they could take advantage of this stack the card with bhousehold names in japan, who are much bigger assets on a japanease card then they are in an mma card…and blow the fucking roof of the saitama and stack like 40k people!
mirko still has value there..big nog is a god there, wand vs. akiyama would be loved, gomi, let okami fight there, kid is valuable there
the reem. Barnett, they would love a big black dude like brett rogers
they could do some big time shit in japan, and they wouldnt even have to waiste there major usa ppv draws for the card!
If they did that then we wouldn’t get to hear Dana tell us how 300,000 people were looking for tickets
Drink til I'm full, Eat till I pass out.
by Jiguyg Fjhj on Sep 6, 2011 8:44 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
like 5x that lol
mma was like a cartoon fad for them or something.. and maybe theres 20,000 hardcores left
supporter of all real fighters with much heart
DownUndeeeeeer, DownUndeeeeeeeer . . . :-)
This means they wont be coming to Australia in Feb. And it was such a nice time of the year. 35 degree sun, big waves, bikini’s, beer, thongs, bikini’s, beer, bikini’s, beer . . . sorry my mind got locked for a sec there!
Hideo Tokoro would be cool.
The UFC will acquire big name Japanese fighters for this IMO.
Hioki and Okami will prob be on it.
Would love to see Aoki sign.
Same with Kawajiri, Imunari, and would love to see Hansen in the UFC some intriguing match ups there.
"This is our friend, Tarman Got Him."
by Tarman Got Him on Sep 6, 2011 2:31 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I’m pretty sure that that Fedor vs Nogueira 3 was their record at the time of roughly 47k at Saitama, and that they got over 90k for Sapp vs Nog at the Tokyo dome, which I think was a co promotion with K1. I wouldn’t be surprised if this card had Wand, Shogun, Hendo, Nog or even Rampage if he’s still fighting. Either way, i’m guessing it’ll be sold out. The most noticeable thing will be the lack of boo-ing if the fight slows down, the general silence unless something dramatic happens.
So…. although he will dismiss it, what’s the chance of DW being put under pressure to allow for no elbows, with knees on the ground or stomps…
Hope they can get Lyoto on this card
I’m not resting until I’m officially Anderson Silva status.- Jon "Bones" Jones
that would be a good one
a lot of folks will prob overlook this
I love that they are re configuring this. 20k means better chance of a sell out and less nosebleed seats.
"......I'm the best ever. I'm the most brutal and vicious, the most ruthless champion there has ever been. No one can stop me. Lennox is a conqueror? No! He's no Alexander! I'm Alexander! I'm the best ever. I'm Sonny Liston. I'm Jack Dempsey....My style is impetuous, my defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious......." - Mike Tyson
Overeem vs Brock
Shogun vs Tito
Okami vs Vitor
Akiyama vs Diego
Gomi vs Pettis
Bring back the Chute Boxe of old!!!
Crocop vs Noguiera 2-nothing would make Crocop happier than to fight his possible last fight in Japan….pkues he is stil la fan fave over there
Bring back the Chute Boxe of old!!!
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