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Alberto Mina: I want to 'help bring the UFC to Hong Kong'

Victor Fraile / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Alberto Mina could be a key part of the UFC's plan to break into the Chinese market.

Born in Brazil, the 33-year-old Mina adopted Hong Kong as his home after just three years of living and teaching martial arts there. Mina has excelled in a variety of disciplines, but the road to his current career path was beset with obstacles.

"As a teenager, I competed often, and my family always supported me," Mina told MMAjunkie.com. "But when I chose to migrate to MMA, I found certain barriers due to the bad reputation of the sport at the time. I left Brazil more than 10 years ago to seek out my dream. On a visit to Hong Kong, after a workout at Epic MMA Club, I immediately received a job offer.

"A few weeks later, I moved permanently to Hong Kong. They really liked what they saw during my workout."

Prior to making it to the UFC, Mina was only able to fight 10 times in eight years, stopping each of his opponents. A contractual dispute delayed his big show debut even further, but he quickly made up for lost time by engaging in a firefight with Shinsho Anzai that resulted in a TKO victory and $50,000 performance bonus.

A win over fan favorite Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC Fight Night 79 this Saturday in South Korea could boost Mina's popularity even more. Currently training in Los Angeles, Mina won't lobby for a stateside fight anytime soon.

"I'm in no hurry to fight in the U.S.," Mina said. "I wish to help the UFC's development in Asia, and I don't choose where or when I fight.

"My goal today is to help bring the UFC to Hong Kong, as it's the place that brought me into the UFC, as well as (bring the UFC) to my home state of Paraiba in Brazil."

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