UFC Fight Night® Japan slated for
September 27, 2015 at the Saitama Super Arena
UFC® announced today that it will be
returning to the Saitama Super Arena on the 27th September 2015 with UFC Fight
Night Japan. This will be the fourth UFC event in Japan and the second event in
Asia this year. In addition to bringing fans a live event, UFC have also
confirmed that they are producing a brand new reality TV show, ROAD TO UFC:
JAPAN, which will follow eight Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) hopefuls who
will be competing against each other for the opportunity to win a UFC contract.
Executive Vice President and General Manager, UFC
Asia, Ken Berger said: “We are very happy to be bringing our live event to the
Saitama Super Arena once again this year. There is a rich and diverse MMA
talent in Japan and we’re positive that through ROAD TO UFC: JAPAN, we will
uncover more UFC prospects. We have recently witnessed the fast power of Kyoji
Horiguchi in the Octagon® against flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and it
really is only a matter of time before we see a champion emerge from Japan.”
ROAD TO UFC: JAPAN will see eight MMA athletes
train both in their hometowns and in Las Vegas at the TUF Gym under the
supervision of coaches and UFC stars, Roy Nelson “Big Country” (21-11-0,
fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev., USA) and Josh Barnett “The Warmaster” (33-7-0
fighting out of Seattle, Wash., USA). Throughout the course of the series,
match ups will be selected and fights will be scheduled to whittle the
contestants down to two finalists, who will then participate in the live event
at the Saitama Super Arena. Coaches Nelson and Barnett will also step into the
Octagon® in a 5 round main event on September 27. The TV show will be broadcast
in Japan beginning in July, airing weekly until September, and culminating at
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: JAPAN.
UFC is the fastest growing sports organization in
the world and is viewed as the pinnacle of MMA by both athletes and fans. With
close to 40 Asian fighters signed to its roster, UFC in Asia is growing at an
exponential rate. Previous events in the region have taken place in Macao,
Manila, Singapore and Tokyo, attracting tens of thousands of fans and millions
of TV viewers.
This coming week, UFC flyweight champion
Demetrious Johnson will visit no.7 Kyoji Horiguchi’s training gym in Japan.
Johnson was enticed to visit Japan and learn more about the culture and
tradition of martial arts following the two athletes’ championship clash a few
weeks back. In addition to helping him grow as an athlete, the tour will also
see Johnson and Horiguchi host an MMA training session for children at Krazy
Bee gym.
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