THE ULTIMATE Fighting Championship (UFC) hit Manchester in early October and Quays News reporter Matt Bullin went along to chat to the organisers…
“A massive success” was the phrase used by UFC EMEA’s Vice President and General Manager, James Elliott to describe UFC 204 which happened at the Manchester Arena on October 8.
Mr Elliott, 37, has been working for UFC for three years and in that time he has seen the sport of MMA and the UFC brand grow beyond recognition in the UK, Europe and worldwide.
Mr Elliott looks after UFC in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and he spoke enthusiastically of UFC 204.
“Without question it was a great success,” he said.
“We were always expecting the event to do really well, the crowd in the North-West of the UK is incredibly passionate and we knew they were going to enjoy themselves.
“Anyone who was there will remember it for a very long time.”
The biggest winner on the night was without a doubt Manchester’s very own Michael Bisping.
The 37-year-old was returning to the place where he grew up to fight Dan Henderson, and he became the first British fighter to defend a UFC title by beating his opponent on points.
Bisping retained the UFC Middleweight World Championship which he won at UFC 199 and in doing so he also became the record holder for all-time UFC wins.
It was the first title defence ever by a UK Champion and to have it all happen within miles of where Michael grew up was a big moment for him,” said Elliott.
“For him to get the record in his first title defence is a fitting testament to his career and to his durability in the sport.
“He’s been a great ambassador to UK MMA and a wonderful part of the UFC,” he went on to say.
Bisping won on points, but there were victories by submission for Stefan Struve and Mirsad Bektic in their respective classes, whilst Jimi Manuwa won by knock out and Gegard Mousasi beat his opponent via second round stoppage.
Unusually nine of the 11 fights at UFC 204 were ended outright by KO or submission, with only two being decided by the judges.
Elliot went on to pay tribute to all the fighters on show at UFC 204: “Every single fight brought something of its own.
“The performances they put on for the crowd were fantastic and they really demonstrated everything that’s great about MMA.”
An incredible 16,000 plus fans packed into the Manchester Arena on Saturday night, showing just how popular MMA and UFC have become in the UK.
Mr Elliott is obviously keen to continue his work in promoting and building UFC’s demographic:
“The more eyeballs we can get on this sport, the more people can see how exciting it is and it’s hopefully going to snowball from here.” he told us.
“MMA is an unusual sport in the sense there are so many different outcomes of one bout, meaning it is incredibly unpredictable, so there is more chance for upsets than in other sports, which is why it is so exciting for the fans and organisers alike.
“Because we have the best fighters in the world fighting each other on a regular basis it means you have that unpredictability, and it’s less formulaic than other sports.”
Mr Elliott was positive when asked if UFC will be returning to Manchester: “We were treated wonderfully well by the city and it’s certainly something we’d like to do again.
“The athletes put on a great show and everyone who was there said they’re itching for us to come back.”
By Matt Bullin
@matt_bullin01
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