UFC
UFC NEWS: Former NBA China executive Mark Fischer names as UFC's Asian Operations head
Aug 30, 2010 - 3:05:32 PM UFC NEWS: Former NBA China executive Mark Fischer names as UFC's Asian Operations head

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Much like they have with Marshall Zelaznik in the U.K. and Tom Wright in Canada, the UFC this weekend named Mark Fischer as the head of their new Asian Operations division of their company.

Fischer, the former China executive for the National Basketball Association, will look to increase the UFC's penetration into that continent, with the UFC's continued global expansion plan at the forefront.

"Our goal is to be in a billion households worldwide in the coming years, and Asia is key to that growth because of the regions’ aptitude in martial arts," Fischer said in comments made to The Hollywood Reporter.

First up on the docket is a Chinese edition of The Ultimate Fighter, made specifically for that market.

"Most martial arts were founded in Asia and we have a lot of respect for that, but this show shows a lot of the background to the sport and we think it’s a great way to introduce the mixed martial arts across the region," Fischer said.

The UFC had a television deal in China threw December of last year, though they are currently not televised in the country at the moment. Their sister promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting, airs on Power Sports, China’s first nationwide HD sports channel, according to the THR report.

That channel is "dedicated to contact sports such as boxing and judo and soon will air programming from the NHL and NFL," per the report.

Speaking at the UFC 118 post-fight press conference this past weekend, Fischer laid out his credentials and briefly talked about where the UFC is looking to expand.

"I was with the NBA in Asia for 12 years," he said. "Five or six of those were building the NBA in China. I think as successful as the NBA was there, what we were able to do with that, I think we can just as much with the UFC and more."

"I think we're going to study the market," he said. "Definitely China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia. All of these countries have tremendous potential. There's been tremendous interest, tremendous activity in MMA, and I think it's a question of bringing the UFC brand there and the way we do things being the global leader in the sport."

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Penick's Analysis: The UFC's continued commitment to building the sport and more specifically their brand is great to see. We've already seen the positive effects of Wright in Canada with regulation in Ontario coming much sooner than expected, and they've made another good hire with connections in the region, who has done similar work for a different sport. Whether they can be successful in China and other Asian countries is the next question, but the fact that they continue to attempt this expansion is admirable. It will not be a quick process and progress itself will not come quickly over there, but they are putting the pieces in place to do what they need to do.