UFC
UFC reportedly targeting March 2013 return to Japan
Jul 16, 2012 - 10:10:12 AM UFC reportedly targeting March 2013 return to Japan

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC made their first trip to Japan under Zuffa ownership last February, bringing an overall successful event to the Saitama Super Arena with UFC 144. Now, they're targeting a return just over a year later, as NikkanSports.com reports that the UFC is looking to come back in March.

More specifically, MMAWeekly.com reports that the date they're eying is March 3, 2013.

That would come just slightly over a year after UFC 144, which brought a Lightweight Championship bout between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson. The card also featured Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in his first fight in Japan since Pride, and brought an estimated 20,000 fans to the venue.

The Asian MMA scene has had a couple of promotions try to take over in the wake of Pride's demise, with several failing to gain long term traction. Singapore-based ONE Fighting Championship is poised to take over that mantle, but the UFC is taking the opportunity to try to do some business there as well, as evidenced by this planned return.

Penick's Analysis: The last event was plagued with talk that it was a "vanity project" on the part of the UFC, to simply swoop in and show that they could do an event there, but I think it surprised with how well it actually did. It may not have been a Pride-level attended event, and it wasn't an absolutely massive pay-per-view success, but it did well for the UFC, and certainly well enough to come back, and we'll see next spring how well the UFC's second attempt at a show can draw in the country.