China Market Is Important Revenue Source for UFC, VP of US Fight Organizer’s Asia-Pacific Arm Says(Yicai) Nov. 28 -- The China market is an important source of income for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which returned to China for the first time in four years last weekend with a match held in Macao, according to the senior vice president of the US mixed martial arts competition organizer’s Asia-Pacific division.
The China market is an important source of revenue for the UFC and also a key part of the Asia-Pacific region, Kevin Zhang told Yicai in an interview.
Some 16,000 spectators flocked to the Macao UFC Fight Night stadium on Nov. 23 and more than 700 million fans tuned in to watch online. As of Nov. 27, the UFC’s Douyin account, which is the Chinese version of TikTok, had 10.9 million followers.
The UFC, which first came to Macao 10 years ago, has become one of the most influential international professional sporting events in China with a growing audience.
Today, the level and lineup of Chinese players in UFC competitions have improved considerably, and the UFC has more experience in organizing competitions in China, Zhang said. Nine Chinese fighters, including Xiao Long, Yan Xiaonan, Zhang Mingyang and Shi Ming, took part in the Macau match, and three of them won prizes.
Although the prize money from Chinese competitions might be more, sometimes topping one million Chinese yuan, which is equivalent to hundreds of thousands of US dollars, the prestige, professionalism and influence of the UFC is far greater, Xiao said.
The UFC logged a 13.3 percent surge in revenue last year from the year before to USD1.3 billion, reaching an all-time high, according to the Las Vegas-based company. China revenue was not disclosed.
The UFC’s digitalization strategy is an important reason why the organization can take root in the Chinese market.
The UFC will continue to produce more content on social media and interact with fans, Zhang said. Migu Video is the exclusive broadcaster of the UFC. Through their channels, the UFC can be exposed to different groups of people and reach a wider audience, he added.
Editor: Kim Taylor
