There have been eight UFC shows that took place outside the United States. Here is the breakdown…
* Ultimate Japan — 12/21/97 — Yokohama, Japan
* Ultimate Brazil — 10/16/98 — Sao Paolo, Brazil
* UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2 — 11/19/99 — Chiba, Japan
* UFC 25: UItimate Japan 3 — 4/14/00 — Tokyo, Japan
* UFC 29: Defense of the Belts — 12/16/00 — Tokyo, Japan
* UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall — 7/13/02 — London, England
* UFC 70: Nations Collide — 4/21/07 — Manchester, England
* UFC 72: Victory — 6/16/07 — Belfast, Northern Ireland
UFC is planning to have its first 2008 show at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England. The title is UFC 80: Rapid Fire, with B.J. Penn slated to fight Joe Stevenson in an interim lightweight championship bout.
CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME
Since the state of California legalized and set forth regulations for mixed martial arts, the UFC has scheduled seven events in the Golden State. The first was UFC 59: Reality Check, held at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim on April 15, 2006. The citizens of Orange County gave the UFC a warm welcome indeed. The show was the fastest to sell out in UFC history, producing a live gate of $2,191,450 on attendance of 13,060, according to figures provided by the California State Athletic Commission.
On that show, Tim Sylvia defeated Andrei Arlovski to win the UFC heavyweight title.
Other shows that have been held in California through the end of 2007:
* UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie — 5/27/06 — Los Angeles
* UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn — 9/23/06 — Anaheim
* UFC 65: Bad Intentions — 11/18/06 — Sacramento
* UFC Fight Night 7 — 12/13/06 — Miramar (Marine Corps Air Station)
* UFC 73: Stacked — 7/7/07 — Sacramento
* UFC 76: Knockout — 9/22/07 — Anaheim
ON A STREAK IN VEGAS
The UFC, under the stewardship of Zuffa LLC, has been known to like to move around, rotating to a number of proven venues. But during one period - from November 2005 to April 2006 - six consecutive events were held in Las Vegas, the longest such string in UFC history. The streak began with the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 2, held at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on November 5, 2005. It also ended at the Hard Rock on April 6, 2006 with Ultimate Fight Night 4.
Events during that time were held not only at the Hard Rock, but at the MGM Grand Arena and the Mandalay Bay Events Center. After a couple of shows in California, the UFC then held five more events in a row in Vegas. All told, from January 31, 2004 to August 26, 2006, 20 of the UFC’s 26 live events took place in Las Vegas. Of course, the UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, where Zuffa LLC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta runs his family’s Station Casinos empire, and he is also a former member of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, so it makes all the sense in the world to call it home.
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