THE ONE ASIA MMA SUMMIT, DAY 2: THE FUTURE OF ASIAN MMA

The ONE Asia MMA Summit held from June 1st through 3rd, 2012, presented an opportunity for promoters, sponsors, gyms, and media from around the Austral-Asian region to network and collaborate on the growth of MMA in Asia.  ONE Fighting Championship hosted approximately 150 people at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.   Speakers from across the industry were organized into panels and break out sessions to cover a variety of important issues.  On Day 2 of the Summit, these panel sessions commenced with an introduction by ONE FC CEO Victor Cui.  This article focuses only on the first panel session as the event was quite comprehensive and informative; future columns will detail the remaining topics.

Panel Session 1: THE FUTURE OF ASIAN MMA

Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of Evolve MMA

The frog under the coconut shell digs his way out and sees the world.

Chatri has become a name synonymous with MMA in Asia.  He's a highly successful businessman who has turned his focus to MMA, developing one of the most recognized brands in Evolve MMA and assembling a stellar fight team.  Chatri understands that the future does not need to be observed, but driven.  The core of his speech was not 'if' MMA in Asia will succeed but 'how' it will.  Starting out with a bang, he produced very simple powerpoint slides that read:

"How big will MMA be in Asia?  VERY BIG."

THE ONE ASIA MMA SUMMIT: DAY 1

ONE   It represents a single entity, sometimes referred to as unity.

ASIA   Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 30% of the Earth's land area and hosts 60% of the world's current human population. Given its size and diversity, Asia "is more a cultural concept" incorporating diverse regions and peoples than a homogeneous physical entity. - Wikipedia

MMA   Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be traced back to the ancient Olympics. - Wikipedia

SUMMIT   1. The highest point or part; the top.  2. The highest level or degree that can be attained.  3. a. The highest level, as of government officials.  b. A conference or meeting of high-level leaders, usually called to shape a program of action

The words above each symbolize powerful concepts.  When placed together, they galvanize an entire community into action.  The ONE Asia MMA Summit, held in Singapore over the weekend of June 1st through 3rd, 2012, brought approximately 150 people from around the Austral-Asian region together to educate, collaborate, elevate, and shape the future of the sport.  It was a remarkable historic achievement.

The event was sponsored and hosted by ONE Fighting Championship, whose increasing star power attraction and aggressively forecast international schedule have made it the behemoth of MMA in Asia.  Aside from the first ever MMA summit in Asia, ONE FC aims to be the first and only promotion to create and manage a cross-promotional network, an exclusive gym network, and an official fighter-sharing collaboration.  It is neither slowly nor conservatively approaching these objectives - ONE FC is doing it BIG.  Owner and CEO Victor Cui stated, "I have no doubt that in the next few years, MMA will be a household word everywhere in Asia."  That's big.  In the words of panelist and industry-driver Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of Evolve MMA,

"How big?  VERY BIG."

ONE SUMMIT: OPENING REMARKS

This is what he said, and this is how he said it:

MARK SANGIAO: THE COMPLETE FIGHT TEAM COACH

ONE FC's impending MMA Summit will bring together a major representation of industry professionals from across Asia.  One of the topics of discussion will be "Developing a Professional Fight Team".  Two of the three of the panelists announced for this topic are Heath Sims of Evolve MMA and Boyd Clarke of Phuket Top Team.  The third is Mark Sangiao of Team Lakay.

Team Lakay is one of the most recognized, decorated, consistent, and humble MMA teams in all of Asia.  Coach Mark has actively developed his stable of fighters since 2006.  The Lakay trademark red satin shorts his fighters wear are now equally recognized and respected.   Mark's love of and dedication to the development of combat sports have made a huge contribution to the sport of MMA in Asia.  These contributions - bother personally and through his stable of 15 pro and 50 amateur fighters - makes Coach Mark an ideal candidate to speak on the topic of developing a professional fight team.

The following article was written by Ofelia Empian and published in the Baguio Chronicle, issue October 30-November 5, 2011 and online here.

Champions are not born. They are made. 

PRESS RELEASE: JASON CHAMBERS HOSTS ONE FC SUMMIT

APEX SPORTS AGENCY CEO JASON CHAMBERS TO HOST HISTORIC ASIAN MMA SUMMIT

ONE FC to hold massive invitation-only event this weekend

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (USA): It was recently announced that Apex Sports Agency (ASA) CEO Jason Chambers is slated to host ONE Asia Summit 2012, which is scheduled for this weekend, June 1, 2012 through June 3, 2012, at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Created and promoted by ONE FC, the largest MMA promotion in Asia, the Summit is garnering a significant amount of buzz in the world of mixed martial arts.

Chambers will serve as the Master of Ceremonies, and will participate in the sessions as a panel moderator. In addition, he will be in charge of facilitating the Q&A sessions. Asia’s top MMA promotions, gyms, sponsors, and media outlets will be represented at the Summit, which is designed to be a clearinghouse that will help promote networking and expansion opportunities for all those involved. With ONE FC at the helm, the event has drawn the interest and attention of MMA pundits across the world.

A MOMENTOUS EVENT: THE ONE FC SUMMIT

The coming weekend of June 1st, 2012 heralds what could be the most influential event for MMA in Asia... ever.  Under the organization and sponsorship of ONE Fighting Championship, a Summit will be held at Marina Bay Resort in Singapore to bring together a broad spectrum of professionals in the industry to explore, discuss, and promote the growth of MMA.  Panels consisting of leading professionals will provide insights and education across many facets of the MMA sports industry.  

Some of the sessions will feature prominent long-time figures on the MMA scene such as Bubbles Aguilar of the URCC, Chatri Sityodtong of Evolve MMA, Anthony Lim of Fairtex Group, and Matt Hume, world-renowned MMA fighter, coach, promoter, and official.  They will speak about what they see to be the future of MMA in Asia, developing the safety of the sport alongside its remarkable growth, and maintaining a finger on the pulse of what drives it: the fans.

There will be further educational panels on sponsorships, media, developing a fight team, and opportunities for gyms.  These will target the needs of gyms, coaches, and fighters and provide much needed background information on and support for achieving future success.  It will be a lot of information to cram into a very short timeframe, so auditors are encouraged to be eager and learn as much of the information presented as possible.  Sharpen your pencils, guys.  And remember, this weekend is all about absorbing the stuff that is flying at you - not deflecting it!

The Lead Ups

Each day this week, MMA-in-ASIA.com will post an article pertaining to one of the topics on the Summit agenda.  This will provide readers with background on issues that will be covered, and prepare auditors to  receive the information flying at them.  

An Announcement and a Personal Thank You

It is my pleasure to announce that the ONE FC Summit will provide a breakout session to explore the development of an international amateur MMA league.  ONE FC's founder Victor Cui deserves commendation for seeing the need for amateur athletics, providing a platform at the Summit to discuss it, and for supporting its development.  Additionally, I am humbled to have been chosen as a co-facilitator for this break out session, and I am eager to speak face to face with all of you whom have expressed a deep desire to get amateur MMA developed throughout Asia.  Together, we are going to accomplish something AMAZING! - Lee Li

QUEK "HULK" KIM HOCK: THE HUMBLE HOMEGROWN HERO

When I first saw the name "Kim Hock" announced as a match on the ONE FC 3 card as a rookie, I thought "Who the heck is this guy?"  Apparently I said it out loud, because my friend Vaughn Anderson answered.  "Oh, I trained with him some at Juggernaut Fight Club in Singapore.  He's a boxer.  That kid is tough - he is strong."  Aside from the fact that Blud knows practically everyone in MMA from Beijing to Tasmania, he possesses an excellent eye for talent and ability.  So I decided to keep my own eyes on this "Kim Hock" kid.

I found out that he does indeed have some sharp boxing skills, attested to by the fact that he took gold at the Singapore National Boxing Championships in 2010 and again in '11, plus the gold in the Invitational Boxing Championship the same year, after dropping a weight class.

Check out this video of one of Quek's amateur fights that showcases this self-proclaimed "ex-fat kid's" mean left hook, laser-site focus, and inability to concede to "backing up".  A 21-year old with this much punching power is an exciting prospect to look out for in the future.

In the same busy year of winning two boxing golds, Kim Hock made his foray into MMA at the Naksu amateur MMA competitions in Thailand in 2011, winning a Grand Prix by TKO.  The videos of his fights in Naksu show his limited grappling knowledge yet sharp self-preservation instincts, and a devastating grasp of ground and pound.  After watching the Naksu video below, then learning that he started MMA competitions after only six weeks of MMA training, I completely forgave him for getting mounted.  The Thai crowd goes absolutely mad for his striking.  It's such a shame that shortsighted bureaucracy has banned MMA in that combat-loving country.

ONE FC 4: FIRST CARD ANNOUNCEMENTS

Six weeks out, ONE FC is beginning to announce matches that will make up their freshman debut in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on June 23rd.  Originally scheduled for late April, then May, the date was pushed back to June due to elections and logistics.

First bout announced:
Babalu Sobral (36-9) versus Tatsuya Mizuno (11-7)

ONE FC is beginning to flesh out the light heavyweight division with some remarkable talent.  Following a highly anticipated clash between Melvin Manhoef and Yoshiyuki Nakanishi that ended up a no-contest due to mutually received leg cuts, here come two more apt entries.

ONE FC INKS PARTNERSHIP WITH A.S.A. FOR NORTH AMERICAN MARKET

Press release:

Asia's Largest Fight Promotion One Fighting Championship and Apex Sports Agency Agree to Terms:  ASA To Become ONE FC's North American Brand Embassador




CEO Victor Cui answer questions about ONE FC's massive expansion across Asia
"The ESPN deal will enable a completely new audience to fall in love with the fastest growing sport on the planet"
- Jason Chambers

Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) April 30, 2012

Apex Sports Agency (ASA) today announced that apartnership with top Asian fight organization ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) has been agreed to. With this pact, ASA will now exclusively handle all North American sponsorship and media negotiations for ONE FC.

Mixed Martial Arts is taking the world by storm and ONE FC is leading the way in Asia. They recently consummated an unprecedented ten-year deal with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, which will bring ONE FC content to 500 million homes across 24 countries in Asia. Now, ONE FC and ASA have joined forces.

ONE FC 3 - PART 2: FIGHT DAY

MMA in Asia is growing by the day.  ONE FC CEO Victor Cui's vision of creating a network to "accelerate the development of Asian fighters and the sport of MMA in the region" has definitely taken flight with the third event - War of the Lions.  Showcasing local rookie phenoms to major international top ten fighters, pitting titled champions of regional organizations against top fighters shared from others, and attracting international talent from major western promotions, ONE FC proved it is serious about unifying and building the sport of MMA in Asia.

This is the second installment of my report from Singapore covering ONE FC 3.  For all of you who like to look at pictures instead of read, just enjoy the scrolling.  Event coverage in words is further down the page.  The first part of this series, on my arrival and the weigh ins, can be found here.  The final part will cover the MMA scene in Singapore.

Fight Day

Fight day had finally arrived.  My first time in Singapore, my first time at a ONE FC event, and my first time receiving the World's Largest Press Pass.  Seriously, this thing was so big that I wanted to glue glitter onto it and use a Bedazzler so that I could walk into the hall like female Flava Flav.

I guess this promotion likes to do everything in a big way, including the giant winner's medals that look like something ripped off a 1969 Chevy Impala manifold.  If you haven't seen one of these behemoths in person, just hang your USB keyboard around your neck for a night out partying (with a brick duct-taped onto the back of it), and call me to exchange notes tomorrow morning.  Poor Nicole Chua had to see the chiropractor when she got backstage.  I haven't seen a more 'interesting' medal since the inaugural UABBJ tournament had red, yellow and blue giant plastic elephant cutouts to string around winner's necks.

ONE FC MMA SUMMIT AND NEW KL DATE ANNOUNCED

PRESS RELEASE:

ONE Fighting Championship™ to host Asia’s Largest MMA Summit in History

10 April 2012 – Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) announced today that it will host the ONE Asia MMA Summit 2012 from 1-3 June 2012. This invitation-only summit will be the largest in history for the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) in Asia. 150 of the most influential people in Asian MMA are invited for an all-expense paid trip to Singapore at the luxurious S$8 billion Marina Bay Sands, the world’s most expensive resort and casino, to join forces for the benefit of Asian MMA.

The region’s leaders from the biggest MMA promotions, the most prominent MMA gyms, the largest global sponsors, the top media companies and government partners, will all be in attendance. Attendees will have an exclusive opportunity to listen to panels of experts from every corner of the Asian MMA industry, discuss the rapid development of MMA in Asia and collaborate to enjoy the benefits of the ONE FC Network.

The two-day agenda for ONE Asia MMA Summit 2012 will feature presentations by industry leaders, TV broadcasters, international sponsors, leading gym owners, MMA media influencers and international MMA stars.

CEO and Owner of ONE Fighting Championship™ Victor Cui said, “In the last six months we have completely changed the game for the sport of mixed martial arts in Asia. This is a result of the synergistic efforts within the ONE FC Network and the outstanding support from the network’s exclusive partners. My vision is to create the best MMA network in Asia by choosing strategic partnerships made up of only the best promotions, gyms, sponsors, and media companies in the region. The ONE Asia MMA Summit 2012 is an opportunity for us to come together to share ideas, harness the phenomenal growth of MMA in Asia and create opportunities for all.”

ONE FC 3 OFFICIAL RESULTS

Zorobabel Moreira leads the pride of winners for ONE Fighting Championship™: War of the Lions

31 March 2012 – Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™: War of the Lions thrilled a sold-out 8,000 seater Singapore Indoor Stadium tonight with non-stop excitement and surprises. The crowd was completely blown away in what proved to be one of the most historic and highly electrifying nights in the history of Asian mixed martial arts (MMA). The highlight of the show came from an impressive win by Brazil’s Zorobabel Moreira during the Main Event fight against Japan’s Felipe Enomoto.

Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Donald Sanchez via submission (Triangle Choke) at 3:27 of Round 1.
Ole Laursen def. Eduard Folayang via Split Decision 
Fabricio Monteiro def. Yuya Shirai via Unanimous Decision
Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi No Contest (Accidental Injury)
Eddie Ng def. Jian Kai Chee via TKO (Punches) at 0:43 of Round 1
Masakazu Imanari def. Kevin Belingon via submission (Reverse Heel Hook) at 1:18 of Round 1
Yuji Shimada 
Nicole Chua def. Jeet Toshi via submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:07 of Round 1 
Kim Hock Quek def. Majee Overall via technical submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:18 of Round 2
Long Yun Jiang def. Yodsanan Sityodtong via technical submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:28 of Round 1
Danny van Bergen def. Richie Whitson via submission (Armbar) at 1:19 of Round 1

ONE FC 3 COVERAGE

I am on the ground in Singapore now and heading out for the first day of coverage on the ONE FC 3 event and then the Singapore MMA community.  Here's the final fight card.  Be back with pictures and words later.  Today is the weigh ins.

ONE FC ANNOUNCES NEWEST PARTNERSHIPS: CARL'S JR, SONY, TRUE FITNESS

Press Release from ONE FC:


American Restaurant Giant Carl’s Jr® to be Official Food and Beverage Partner at ONE Fighting Championship™

27 March 2012 – Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) is proud to announce that Carl’s Jr® will be the official food and beverage sponsor for ONE FC. Leading American quick service hamburger chain Carl’s Jr®, known for its quality and variety of great tasting food, has provided Southeast Asian restaurant goers with fresh to-order great-tasting burgers and sandwiches since 2005.

Mr Calvin Tan, CEO of Carl’s Jr® Singapore said, "Since ONE FC’s inaugural event in September last year, ONE FC has grown to be the biggest Asian MMA promotion worldwide. By bringing top-class match-ups between some of the most renowned fighters to the fans, it's easy to see how ONE FC is committed to being big on action. Similarly, with a history of serving up big, decadent burgers, Carl’s Jr® is known worldwide for packing a punch where taste is concerned. As such, we firmly believe that this partnership will amplify both our interests in providing satisfaction to the legions of MMA and burger aficionados in Southeast Asia."

Mr Victor Cui, CEO and Owner of ONE Fighting Championship™ said, “I am extremely proud to announce this partnership with Carl’s Jr®. Go big or go home right? Carl’s Jr® is one of the world’s most successful restaurant chains and I look forward to welcoming the brand to our list of prestigious partners for ONE Fighting Championship™. This is going to be epic!”


ONE Fighting Championship™ and True Fitness Form Partnership

26 March 2012 – Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) is excited to have signed a partnership with True Fitness. True Fitness is one of Asia’s largest fitness and wellness corporations offering its members state-of-the-art fitness facilities and a variety of classes ranging from core strengthening and yoga to high intensity body combat. True Fitness is at the forefront of developing the fitness experience for the Asian consumer. The partnership between True Fitness and ONE FC brings together two premium brands that represent fitness and athletic excellence.

DREAM+ONE FC "tweet for toys", NICO NICO STREAM IN JAPAN

In the absence of any announcements regarding when might be the next DREAM event in Japan, the official website and twitter accounts for the promotion have been on overdrive promoting the ONE FC event in Singapore.  ONE FC's negotiations with DREAM have enabled them to secure several of the highest-profile fighters for their upcoming War of the Lions event on March 31st: "Crusher" Kawajiri, Masakazu Imanari, Yuya Shirai, and Yoshiyuki Nakanishi.  Now DREAM announces that if you tweet encouragement to these Japanese fighters by way of @dream_pr and use #dream_onefc, you just might be selected to win a toy.

It was also announced that the event will be live streamed on Nico Nico in Japan and can be purchased of 1,500yen.  Here is the website and the text is below.

DREAM×ONE FC twitter企画！
応援メッセージをつぶやいてスペシャルプレゼントをGETだ!! #dream_onefc

3・31『DREAM×ONE FC ~ONE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP: WAR OF THE LIONS~』（シンガポール・インドア・スタジアム）twitter企画！　同大会に出場する川尻達也、今成正和、白井祐矢、中西良行の応援メッセージをつぶやいてお宝グッズをゲットしよう！

【DREAM×ONE FC twitter企画 #dream_onefc 】
◎募集内容／ハッシュタグ #dream_onefc をつけて、川尻達也・今成正和・白井祐矢・中西良行への応援メッセージをつぶやきましょう。皆さんのツイートのなかからベストツイートを選出して選ばれた方にお宝グッズをお贈りします。また、決定したベストツイートはオフィシャルサイトまたは当日のニコニコ生放送の中で紹介させていただく予定です。
◎期間／～3月31日（土）正午（日本時間）まで。

ONE FC ANNOUNCES MALAYSIAN TV DEAL WITH ASTRO, NEW EVENTS

Beyond its partnership with ESPN STAR Sports, ONE FC has announced a media deal that will further increase its footprint in Asia.  Malaysia's major broadcast company Astro has purchased the exclusive rights to air ONE FC events on its sports channel Arena.  Out of ten sports channels offered by Astro (including ESPN and STAR Sports), Arena is the channel to showcase and develop local Malaysian sports, with roughly one-third of its programming dedicated to such:

The channel will deliver 700 hours of live, local sports a year, with an additional 2000 hours of replays greatly expanding the amount of local sports available in the country. It will also provide coverage of up to 56 hours a week of Malaysians competing at international level or the best in world sports of particular interest to a Malaysian audience. All of this commentated in Bahasa Malaysia.

ONE FC has its first Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia event scheduled on May 26th.  While ONE FC stated this show is to accommodate Arena's broadcast schedule, the promoter has confirmed that it is still in the planning process of what this will entail.  If viewers in Malaysia can watch the event live and commentated in Bahasa, it will be a fantastic regional breakthrough for MMA.  With Raymond Tiew and Peter Davis representing Malaysia in ONE FC, and BJJ pioneer in Malaysia Marcos Escobar set to make his professional MMA debut with the organization, ONE FC has already begun to establish a local fan base to fuel future viewership of Arena broadcasts.  The country has a burgeoning MMA scene as developed by Ultimate MMA Academy's "Ultimate Beatdown" events, and MuayFit's sponsored "Malaysian Fighting Championships", held six and five times respectively.

ONE FC PRESS RELEASES: BROADCAST SCHEDULE AND JASON CHAMBERS AS COMMENTATOR

Today ONE Fighting Championship announced the commencement of their broadcast on ESPN Star Sports, as their media partnership launches tomorrow.  The agreement is retroactive to the first event, Champion versus Champion, and will be broken down into 'episodes' of 90 minutes, 60 minutes, and 30 minute highlights respectively.  Therefore, at some point, all of the bouts on the card will be broadcast.

Here is the schedule for the first airing (not all countries may be included):

China: Thursday 22:30 Star Sports
India: Thursday 21:30 Star Sports
Indonesia: Thursday 23:00 Star Sports
Macau: Thursday 23:00 Star Sports
Malaysia: Friday 23:00 Star Sports
Pakistan: Thursday 21:30  Star Sports
Singapore: Thursday 23:00 Star Sports
Taiwan: Friday 00:00 Star Sports
Thailand:Thursday 23:00 Star Sports

Here is the text of the press release:

ESPN STAR Sports Commences Broadcast of ONE Fighting Championship™ on 14 March 2012

13 March 2012 – Singapore: Beginning 14 March 2012, Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) will air on the region’s biggest sports content provider ESPN STAR Sports. Following the formal announcement of an unprecedented 10-year media partnership, ESPN STAR Sports is the only cable television broadcaster with the exclusive rights to air ONE FC content across Asia.

ONE FC 3: OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Enomoto vs Moreira to headline ONE Fighting Championship™: War of the Lions on 31 March 2012

9 March 2012 – Singapore: Asia’s largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts (MMA) organization ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC), has officially revealed its much anticipated fight card for ONE Fighting Championship™: War of the Lions. Set to take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 31 March 2012, the event will be headlined by an explosive match-up between Felipe Enomoto from Japan and Zorobabel Moreira from Brazil. Fresh from a surprising comeback win in his main event fight against Ole Laursen in Jakarta last month, Enomoto will now face Moreira, a fighter who is widely recognized as one of the most promising lightweight fighters in the world.

The ONE FC Network and the partnership with DREAM have put up an impressive line-up of DREAM and DEEP Champions. The card features DREAM superstar and Shooto Champion, Tatsuya Kawajiri, DREAM superstar and DEEP Champion, Masakazu Imanari, and DEEP Champions Yuya Shirai and Yoshiyuki Nakanishi.

Tatsuya Kawajiri is one of the best MMA fighters in Japan today. He cemented his place as a Japanese MMA legend after countless displays of unparalleled determination and relentlessness inside the cage. Kawajiri is set to make his much anticipated ONE FC debut against former King of the Cage Bantamweight Champion Donald Sanchez.   

ONE FC 2: PRESS RELEASE RESULTS

Here is the press release issued by ONE FC following their second event:

Felipe Enomoto Submits Ole Laursen After Epic Back and Forth Battle

               

11 February 2012 – Indonesia: ONE Fighting Championship’s first show in Jakarta introduced Indonesian fans to mixed martial arts in unforgettable style with submission and knockouts throughout the course of the ten fight card.

The main event was an all out war between Ole Laursen and Felipe Enomoto. Both fighters came out swinging in the opening round and exchanged wild shots with the Filipino getting the better of the exchanges but taking some solid hits in the process.

UFC Japan - Dissecting the UnderCard

For a moment, reflect upon the glory that was PRIDE matchmaking back in the day.  Nog running Rocky Balboa on Cro Cop before getting an armbar.  Cro Cop's devastating high kick unleashed on Wandy.  Wandy and Rampage's personal war.  Nick Diaz' gogoplata upset over Gomi.  Sakuraba versus Carlos Newton in a grapple brawl of the century.  Yoshihiro Takayama and Don Frye beating each other senseless.  The long-awaited match between Fedor and Cro Cop.  Royce, Hendo, Arona, Shogun, Minowa, Misaki, Sakurai, Aoki, Kawajiri.

from pridefighting.us

An era of pageantry and full-on world-class MMA came to an end when PRIDE's parent company lost their Fuji Network broadcast amid scandalous allegations of yakuza involvement and the subsequent sale of the promotion to Zuffa.  DREAM was born from the ashes, Sengoku rose in prominence, and some of the top talent returned overseas to fight in the cage.  But nothing yet has filled that void in the PRIDE fans' hearts.

from mmapast.com

Even at its inception, the UFC knew the importance of Japan's fight culture and held four events there - 15.5, 23, 25 and 29.  Right after that last event, parent company SEG's financial difficulties almost sidelined the promotion and Zuffa purchased it in early 2001.  For the next 6 years, they focused on their domestic market.  In 2007, the payoff came, with results of stunning PPV buys and regular gate attendance of over 10,000 people.  Then in 2009 they began an overseas push into the European market.  Australia and Abu Dhabi were added in 2010, and back to Brazil in 2011.  Rumors of a show in China circulated after the UFC opened an office in Beijing, but nothing materialized.   And now, a staggering 12 years later, the UFC will once more hold an event Tokyo, Japan on February 26, 2012.