by UFC director David Shaw was on site in Paris, France, on Saturday and brought in UFC CEO Dana White to answer questions from assembled media following UFC Fight Night.
While Shaw didn’t provide much insight, he reemphasized the promotion’s intention to travel to Spain for the first time for a pay-per-view in the future. He said it’s not a matter of if, but when.
Currently, the UFC’s biggest star in Spain is newly minted featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. Topuria is fresh off a KO/TKO win against Alexander Volkanovski in February and remains undefeated. He will headline again, this time against former featherweight champion and current ‘BMF’ champion, Max Holloway on October 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
Shaw mentioned Topuria by name and said that if the promotion were to host an event there, it would likely feature talent from the region.
“Yes, there are [plans to move around Europe]Shaw said. “Dana [White] has been quite vocal about Spain. [UFC] tries to find the right timing for this. Are [nice] to see some Spanish athletes doing well [on UFC Paris]. Not just tonight, but we have a big event coming up in a month, I think, in Abu Dhabi with Topuria. [We are] always look at Poland. Love coming to France every year. We are in Britain every year. We would love to go back to other countries, but there are some things to decide [when].”
The UFC’s remaining event schedule is set through the end of the year. Locations include Las Vegas, Tampa, Utah, Canada, China and New York. Minus Thanksgiving weekend, the promotion runs through December 14 before the calendar turns to 2025.
The UFC’s international presence still remains paramount and has been since the early 2000s. Given Shaw’s comments, this isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
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