Not Such A Small World After All: UFC Continues Its International Expansion

According to Graciemag.com, UFC will hold an event next year in Rio De Janeiro.

The last time UFC made its way to Brazilian soil was 12 years ago. Watching the likes of Brazilians Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva do battle sent the crowd into a frenzy. UFC has never been more popular than it is today and it would make sense to host an event in Brazil now, considering some of the company's most prominent fighters are Brazilian.

The expansion into foreign territory is nothing new for UFC, it has staged many events outside of the U.S since 2007 and is only beginning to scratch the surface of the foreign market where it has had massive success.

Of the ten best-attended events in UFC history, six of them have been outside the United States.

2011 is projected to be a big year for the Fertitta brothers and co. as UFC is set to make its return to Abu Dhabi, as well as entertain events in countries like Sweden, Italy and France.  European television markets are also starting to draw increased ratings. According to Co-President Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC 121 attracted as many as 300,000 viewers in France and Italy.

The company is also planning on hosting a few events in Asia. China and India are two likely destinations.

UFC, the MMA promotion purchased by brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta in 2001, has expanded to new heights and has brought mainstream attention to the company with the success of the hit reality television show The Ultimate Fighter. Merchandise sales have only further increased its popularity.

In order to market challenger Cain Velasquez in UFC 121, the company used a Latin advertising angle to attract more viewers, especially those of Hispanic heritage. Velasquez became the first Mexican-American Heavyweight champion in UFC history after picking up a TKO victory over then-champion, Brock Lesnar.

The event also pulled in big pay-per-view numbers in Mexico, where the Velasquez family is from, and among many Mexican communities in the U.S. For a country that historically has associated itself to boxing, the awareness of MMA has now began to grow in Mexico following the Velasquez win.

With the seeds already planted in countries like Australia, Canada and England, MMA is slowly starting to grow in other markets around the world. At one point, the company focused only on North American audiences, now it's looking to conquer the rest of the world in the hope of further strengthening the brand.