UFC announces Asia expansion, signs fighter from Inner Mongolia

BEIJING, China - The UFC is expanding its brand to Asia and has signed a fighter from China as part of the plans to establish its presence in the world's most populous region, the company announced Sunday.

Mark Fischer, who previously developed business and operations for the NBA in Asia, will head the UFC's new regional office. The company made the announcement following the UFC 118 fight in Boston.

"There's a lot of profound impact to bringing martial arts back in its highest, most refined, most organized form through the UFC to the region where it was first developed centuries ago," Fischer said in an interview last week in Beijing.

The organization already has a handful of fighters from Asia. The addition of Tiequan Zhang from China's Inner Mongolia region — expected to debut next month as a lightweight in World Extreme Cagefighting, a sister organization of UFC that features smaller fighters — is part of the UFC's strategy for attracting new fans in Asia and in particular China.

"China's one of the most important, if not the most important long-term market for the UFC. That said, we are patient," Fischer said, noting the company needs to work with Chinese authorities to get the proper approvals for launching operations in the country.

The UFC's Asia expansion is only in its early stages and the company had not yet decided where its new office will be based or how many people will be in it. The first priority was distributing UFC fights in the region through television and the Internet, Fischer said.

The UFC, based in Las Vegas, already has operations in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. The Asia region will span from Japan to the Indian subcontinent, but Fischer said for now the company will focus on developing in East Asia.