UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta joked that "among a population of a billion people in China, there's got to be someone there that can fight."
Let's hope so.
Otherwise it could put a serious damper on the promotion's International expansion plans, which include sort of a test run in Macau, which Fertitta tells Peter Rutherford (via Fox News) "should be happening" in 2012:
"We've really been doing a lot of work in China and that's going to be a longer-term investment but we are going to dip our toe in the water with an event in Macau. It's just a matter of finding the right date that works with our television deals around the world. That should be happening in 2012. Singapore is another market that we have been focusing on. We know it's a growing market .... so a UFC event there probably in 2013.
UFC President Dana White recently outlined his plans for a future season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) franchise in both China and the Middle East in an effort to "plug the whole world in so everybody can watch and keep up with what's going on."
The promotion, which landed a broadcast television deal with Inner Mongolia Television back in 2009, is certainly ambitious in its global expansion plans.
Perhaps too ambitious? Anyone think the homegrown talent will get lost in the shuffle? Or is the pie big enough for everyone to have a slice?
Thoughts?