In 2017, Fight Nights Global successfully hosted 25 events in and around the company’s Russian base. However, moving into the new year, the promotion is massively broadening its horizons – and that includes events in the U.S.

The promotion isn’t the first Russian organization to eye the market, but Fight Nights Global President Kamil Gadzhiev believes the company’s vision will prove the most successful to date.

“In my opinion, the key mistake of all Russian companies which have tried to do something in the American market is that they haven’t started thinking globally,” Gadzhiev told MMAjunkie. “They tried to change the location but didn’t change the mentality. You should be interesting for fans from Russia, the U.S., Brazil, and all those countries where people love MMA.

“Hosting an event in the U.S. is not the main goal: The main goal is to make all of our events deserving of the attention of a wider audience – I should note, not only the MMA audience – and we are willing to do everything to achieve this. We need names, quality, media and PR.”

Fight Nights Global, previously known as Eurasia Fight Nights, has made some inroads already on the U.S. market. Until recently, the organization streamed some of its events live on UFC Fight Pass, displaying a penchant for massive production elements to accompany the in-cage action. The most successful of those events was June 2016’s EFN 50, which saw Fedor Emelianenko take home a controversial majority-decision win over Fabio Maldonado.

The promotion has also begun to target more U.S.-based fighters for its roster, which Gadzhiev believes will help the company to achieve its goals in the market.

“I believe Fight Nights Global is familiar to American MMA fans due to the fact that there is a sufficient number of American fighters in our roster, and of course, MMA fans in America had the opportunity to appreciate the Fight Nights Global 50 event, in which Fedor Emelianenko was featured as the main event,” Gadzhiev said. “It is not right to say that we are starting work in the American MMA industry. We’ve been working in the global market because the status of the company is not determined by the event geography but by the birth certificates of its fighters.

“The leading American and Brazilian fighters battle in our gigs. This means that we have been in the global MMA industry for a long time. And I should say that our events are hosted at the highest level of standards of the global industry. Speaking of actual presence, Fight Nights Global has opened an office in the U.S. and will, indeed, start hosting events there pretty soon – different states, different cities. Thank God we have a roster of American fighters which, of course, will be updated. The number of tournaments on this continent will replenish annually.”

There’s no question that Gadzhiev and his fellow Fight Nights Global execs see the promotion as a potential player on the global stage. That said, Gadzhiev said he’s not quite ready to start declaring war on the current leading promotions in the U.S. market. Instead, Gadzhiev believes the product will soon begin to speak for itself.

“As for now, it makes no sense talking about competition,” Gadzhiev said. “Every company has its own path, its own format. We don’t want to compete with anyone; we want to be the best. You just have to do your job well. I understand that the American audience enjoys a good, quality MMA product. But, if we are to arrange events, we will make sure they arouse the interest of the American audience.

“The initial plan is to achieve the same success in the U.S. that we’ve achieved in Russia and other countries. Our main slogan is, ‘Better to be than to seem.’ We’re ready to not only talk the talk but also walk the walk in the U.S.”

Gadzhiev points to U.S. signees such as Cody East, Michael Graves, Tony Johnson, Derrick Mehmen, Tyson Nam and Dominique Steele as proof of the promotion’s efforts to make inroads in the U.S. market – with the promise of more to come in the near future.

“We are scouting for top American talent, guys who are willing to fight at the highest level events,” Gadzhiev said. “We will work on their PR component. It is also necessary to sign young guys, maybe host some selection tournaments – and of course, free agents. We have something to offer, and it’s not just money.”

There are many details yet to be determined. When and where Fight Nights Global will host its first U.S. event remains to be seen. And while the company is currently signed with Canada’s Fight Network to broadcast its next event from Russia, “Fight Nights Global 83: Alibekov vs. Aliev,” the promotion is currently seeking a more robust U.S.-based broadcaster, as well.

All in due time, says Gadzhiev. But he insists it will be sooner rather than later.

“The goal of any company is to earn money, of course – otherwise, it would not be a business, and we believe that MMA is a business, a very promising one,” Gadzhiev said. “We are different from many companies in the MMA industry, as we are attracting money from sponsors, money from ticket sales and television rights money. Of course, we expect that the company’s financial performance should improve dramatically since we’re stepping foot on lucrative American soil. The world of today is rapidly changing, and the media world is changing at a rate far greater, so we will emphasize on the so-called ‘technological aspect’ – we see great potential in new technological innovations, and we are actively studying the market and prospects of earnings.

“Right now we are focused on figuring out the market. Once we realize how we can attract the crowd, what matchup should be on the program, what TV channels are interested in purchasing our content, etc., we will publicly announce the rest of the details.”

For more on Fight Nights Global’s upcoming schedule, including Fight Nights Global 83, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.