China and 5 Potential Countries for the UFC to Visit Next

The UFC is very open about its intentions to take the sport of MMA and make it into a global phenomenon. UFC President Dana White believes one day the MMA (and the UFC) will be bigger than soccer on the international stage.

While the ventures into Canada, Brazil and the United Kingdom have all been fairly successful excursions, the UFC will need to branch out to even more countries in order to build their brand across the world.

These countries each offer something unique that the UFC could build the sport of MMA upon.

Greece

Greece is where it all began for martial arts. Pankration, an ancient Olympic sport that featured wrestling along with striking techniques, is widely considered to be the first form of mixed martial arts.

The UFC doesn't have any stars who have ties with Greece and to my knowledge there isn't a huge outcry for MMA in the country. But wouldn't it be cool to see the UFC going back to where it all began for MMA?

This isn't a move based off financial gains or anything except for the novel idea of competing in Greece, which is why this probably won't happen for a long time.

France

While France may be the brunt end of a joke in popular American culture, the country actually has a rich tradition in the martial arts. Savate, or French kickboxing, for example, is a storied martial art that is popular within the country.

I'm sure the UFC would "go big" and try to put an event in Paris, which is feasible given the company has a number of talented fighters who could be on the card. Although he lost his last bout against Mark Hunt, Cheick Kongo remains one of the most recognized heavyweights in the division.

Another French-born fighter the UFC could use would be Cyrille Diabate. Even though he also lost his last bout in the UFC, he's still an established name.

Mix in some young European talent like Pascal Krauss, Paul Sass or John Hathaway, and the UFC could easily fill out a smaller event in France.

Mexico

The UFC has made repeated attempts thus far, with mixed results, to break into the country of Mexico. There are a number of problems why MMA hasn't taken off in the country despite there being a strong love of fighting.

For one, boxing has long been established as the combat sport in Mexico. This naturally leads potential MMA fans to be more interested in the striking game while not having an understanding of the intricate ground game.

Another problem is the lack of wrestling and jiu-jitsu programs throughout the country. In major cities, you may be able to find a handful of gyms that practice these two martial arts, but they are definitely few and far between.

The final problem is the one the UFC may have the most trouble solving. The lack of a Mexican-born MMA star will severely hinder the UFC's growth in Mexico. They've tried to sell us on fighters like Cain Velasquez, Roger Huerta and Diego Sanchez before, but they are simply of Mexican decent.

Although the company has quite a few obstacles to overcome should the UFC want to succeed in Mexico, if they were to put together a card stacked with strikers I would bet they'd at least make a dent into the boxing fanbase.

China

MMA hasn't exploded in China like the UFC would like, but the company is taking steps to establish a presence to educate potential fans about the sport.

The UFC has even brought over some top stars to train in the States like Zhang Tie Quan and Yao Honggang. Quan hasn't had the best run in the promotion but remains the most visible Chinese star under the UFC banner.

While fighters in China have displayed prominent striking techniques, they are light years behind in other areas like wrestling and jiu-jitsu. But make no mistake about it, the UFC is venturing into China for one reason—money.

The UFC has seen events like the 2008 Olympic games become one of the most watched events in the history of television, and it's no secret that Western nations have been looking to get the Chinese consumer on their side.

With the country opening up more as time goes on, the UFC could do a small show in China just to get its foot in the door or possibly even send over the Strikeforce crew so the UFC brand is protected.

South Korea

Not only is South Korea a country with a rich tradition in the martial arts, it's also one of the few "western" nations the UFC could easily transition into putting an event there.

They already have one recognizable star in Benson Henderson to headline a potential title fight in the country. The UFC also has popular fighters like Chan Sung-Jung and Dong-Hyun Kim to draw the masses in.

You could also make a case for numerous fighters with taekwondo backgrounds like Anthony Pettis, Stephan Bonnar and Dennis Siver, who are all recognizable names that resonate with fans.

If Henderson can get past Frankie Edgar in their rematch, the UFC should capitalize on having a fighter of South Korean decent holding a belt and put a show here.