Mastering the Eastern market and looking for new stars: how the UFC tournament in Abu Dhabi can bring popularity to Russian fighters

The upcoming UFC 242 tournament will be landmark for several reasons. Firstly, in the main fight Khabib Nurmagomedov will hold his second defense of the lightweight champion title in a duel with Dustin Porrier, a victory in which could make him the first Russian leader in the Pound-for-Pound rating (the best fighters, regardless of weight category ) In addition, seven domestic athletes will perform at once on the show.

Previously, the UFC has already held several championships, the card of which was literally crowded with Russians, but they took place on the territory of the country, as a result of which such a step seemed very natural.

At the same time, the tournament in Abu Dhabi stands apart in this regard. In this case, a large number of Russian participants is not due to a geographical factor, but to their demand in the East. In particular, this is the merit of Nurmagomedov, who is currently one of the most recognizable athletes in the world.

In many ways, it was his phenomenon that contributed to the increase in the popularity of MMA in the UAE and the subsequent organization of this show. It is no secret that in recent years mixed martial arts have not so often organized competitions in this region, and the reason for this was a lack of demand from the public. The UFC needed its hero for a local audience, capable of providing both ticket sales and paraphernalia.

This tournament will be only the third in the history of the most prestigious MMA promotion in the world, which will be held in the UAE. Earlier, the UFC twice made an attempt to win the attention of a local audience, but both times failed. He suffered the most devastating debacle in 2010 when he gathered his main athletes in Abu Dhabi. So, in the card there were such rising stars as Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davis, the legendary Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie, and two champion matches immediately became the crown of the show. In the first of them, Frankie Edgar fought with BJ Penn, and in the main - Anderson Silva with Damien Maya.

However, the fight involving Silva was a real disappointment and for a long time discouraged local public interest in MMA. During the fight, Anderson mostly mocked his counterpart, who could not cause him any harm, which caused outrage not only from the fans, but also from Dana White.

Subsequently, the UFC returned to the UAE only four years later. This time the promotion did not say the most stellar composition of the participants, who had practically no chance to revolutionize the East. Of interest was perhaps the main battle in which the legend of PRIDE, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and the strong American Roy Nelson met. This time the fight turned out to be more colorful and ended with a knockout in the first round, but could not provoke a surge of interest in mixed martial arts.

However, in 2019, fans had their own icon in the person of Nurmagomedov, as well as a whole galaxy of Muslim fighters who are in good standing with the organization. All this led to a sharp increase in interest in the sport in general and in the UFC, in particular. This is evidenced by at least a huge number of fans in t-shirts of Habib and other domestic athletes in Abu Dhabi.

It should be understood that the presence in the card of a number of Russian fighters is not a coincidence. The UFC deliberately took this step in order to provoke the appearance of the next "national champion", capable of generating revenue for the company. That is why in the third fight of the evening, the 15th number of the lightweight rating Islam Makhachev and the loose Davy Ramos appear, while Curtis Blades (the fourth heavy weight number) will enter the arena a little earlier.

Of course, in this regard, the absence of Zabit Magomedsharipov in the card can be considered very controversial, but this may be due to the lack of a worthy opponent. It is very likely that his future opponent Calvin Kitter could not prepare for the fight in September, as a result of which he was postponed to mid-October.

Nevertheless, for the rest of the fighters, the tournament in Abu Dhabi is a unique chance to gain the trust of the organization and become profitable. The UFC management greatly appreciates the financial component, therefore, it rightly believes that athletes should bring money. Until now, Makhachev, Abdurahimov, Taysumov and others have not been able to gain enough fame in the United States, and this show can be a great starting point for them. Success in the octagon can increase their assets, which promises to return to them loyalty from the company.

In the UAE, Russians are already showing great interest, which confirms an unprecedented excitement on the part of local residents. Thus, the plan of Dana White is gradually beginning to justify itself, however, to consolidate the result, the athletes themselves need to demonstrate a spectacular performance.

If the Russians can finally fall in love with local fans, they will be in demand in the UAE at least, which will be a major achievement for them. In this case, the UFC will not miss the opportunity to capture the eastern market, and athletes are more likely to receive a venue for regular performances.