Beijing bound on November 24th! #UFCBeijing pic.twitter.com/yZeX3nxowj
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) August 5, 2018
The Ultimate Fighting Championship will make its second visit to mainland China – and first trip to Beijing – this fall.
The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announced that it will hold a Fight Night card at Cadillac Arena on Nov. 24. No bouts were announced for the event. According to a release, the UFC will work with Endeavor China, a subsidiary of the UFC’s ownership group, Endeavor, to deliver the event.
“Endeavor China is excited to once again bring UFC – the world’s premier professional MMA organization – to Chinese audiences. After the great success of last year’s event in Shanghai, we are happy to announce that this year’s UFC Fight Night event will take place in the country’s capital, Beijing,” said Endeavor China CEO Michael Ma said in a release. “MMA’s popularity is quickly rising in China, and we look forward to bringing our growing fanbase the best that UFC has to offer.”
Last year, UFC Fight Night 122 marked the organization’s inaugural visit to mainland China for a card held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shangahi. Kelvin Gastelum knocked out former middleweight champion Michael Bisping in the evening’s main event.
Some of the Chinese fighters currently on the UFC roster include Jingliang Li, Yadong Song, Xiaonan Yan, Kenan Song and Pingyuan Liu.
“China is the next frontier for the growth of UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts, and this market is paramount to our success internationally,” UFC Vice President of Asia-Pacific Kevin Chang said. “We are excited to bring our next live event to China’s capital and show the world just how far we have come.”