UFC heads to Singapore for its first Southeast Asian card; PHL next?

MANILA, Philippines â€“ Singapore, not the Philippines, has turned out the first Southeast Asian destination of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

UFC, considered the best and most prestigious fight organization in the world, will hold a fight card in the region for the first time ever via the UFC Fight Night 34 at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on Friday.

The historic event will feature 10 fights headlined by a showdown between Hyun Gyu Lim of South Korea and former Strikeforce standout Tarec Saffiedine of Finland.

Interestingly, Hyun, who has won his first two UFC fights over Marcelo Guimaraes and Pascal Krauss via knockouts, fought in Manila two years ago via another fight outfit, the Guam-based Pacific X-Treme Cagefighting, which holds about four to five cards in the Phl every year.

All along, the Phl was being eyed as the potential first destination of the UFC as part of its Asian expansion boasting of the biggest mixed martial arts market in Asia next to Japan and South Korea.

In fact, UFC Asia chief Mark Fischer hinted during his Manila visit early last year of a possible visit this year.

â€œIâ€™d like to remind everyone that this is no commitment but I predict, with help of good partners like ABS-CBN and Balls, fans and the media, the UFC will bring a fightcard to Manila in 2014,â€ Fischer said.

Upon check with Jojo Estacio, a top executive at Balls, she said there's no update yet as to when UFC's possible Phl staging.

It's nice to know though that the UFC, which has held several cards in Asia like Japan, South Korea and Macau in less than a year, has come to Southeast Asia and, if things work out fine, the Phl could be next.