The following is an article from Nikkan Sports:
UFC – First Mirko, Now Interested in KID
Las Vegas, NV 2/1 (2/2 Japan time) – The UFC has shown interest in god's child. After the 2006 PRIDE Open-Weight Champ Mirko Crocop (32 = Croatia) transferred to the world's largest MMA organization, the amount of attention on the UFC has greatly increased. President Dana White (37) revealed that he would like to hold an event in Japan, possibly by the end of this year. It would be the first event in Japan in seven years. White also indicated interest in both the 2005 HERO's Middleweight champion Norifmi KID Yamamoto and PRIDE's Lightweight champion Takanori Gomi. Japan's MMA is being invaded by black ships.
With its popularity zooming, the UFC is paying attention to Japan's top stars.
UFC President Dana White: “From a personal perspective, not as a UFC representative, I think that KID Yamamoto and Gomi are extremely good fighters. They could both be champions in our organization. K-1 is kickboxing so it's a bit different, but PRIDE has some magnificent fighters. It's for certain that us and PRIDE have the best quality fighters.”
He denies proactively recruiting fighters and wants to do the utmost to avoid stirring up any animosity with the Japanese side. But the fact that he cannot hide his interest in Japanese star fighters likely means that he wants to re-enter the Japanese market.
White: “Right now we're number one, but previously Japan was an extremely large MMA market. Not only is that fascinating, Japanese fans are knowledgeable. It's no surprise that the fighters feed off the fans. I'm confident that we could show we're different from what we showed at the last event in Japan. If the President of Nikkan Sports will cooperate, I would host an event tomorrow (laughter).”
Notwithstanding White's half-joking comments, it's evident that facing up to global scale entertainments in K-1 and PRIDE and declaring war on their home turf. If a UFC event in Japan materializes within this year, it would be the first time since December 2000, a seven year break. They have support to help them succeed. Immediately after the Mirko-to-UFC announcement, WOWOW, the company which airs UFC events, created a special section on their website for the UFC. In November 100,000 viewers tuned in and 130,000 in December. Iin January though, the number grew to 420,000 viewers. Unlike the previous four events that were subpar, the return to Japan would involve fighters in the prime of their careers.
White: “The acquisition of Mirko was intended to expand our fan base in the US and Eastern Europe. But its true that it will help us achieve success in Japan.
The UFC's aspirations do not know any restrictions.
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