The UFC will be in the market for a new executive with recent news that Dave Allen has resigned from his position as UFC Senior Vice President and General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The news, first announced by Fighters Only, was confirmed to MMAjunkie by UFC officials.

“We can confirm David has resigned from his position at the UFC for personal reasons and we respect his privacy at this time,” a UFC official told MMAjunkie in a statement.

The Dublin-born Allen was picked to head the EMEA division in January after previously holding a spot with the UFC as director of events, marketing and communications for EMEA. Prior to his time with the UFC, Allen held positions with Adidas, Nike and UMBRO.

Allen’s departure comes as a surprise to most, having had success in a number of markets and seeming bullish on the UFC’s future in the regions.

After UFC Fight Night 69 in Berlin this past Saturday — an event which saw a UFC women’s title defended on European soil for the first time — Allen seemed bullish on the company’s future in Europe. A future that he felt was strengthened by the grassroots work that had been used to build up the sport throughout the continent.

“It’s not important at all to keep (European fighters fighting) in Europe,” Allen said at the post-event news conference at O2 World Berlin. “We’re a global organization and we put on fights almost every single weekend all around the world. We’ve got European fighters fighting on different cards all around the world. It just helps grow their experience.

“I think what it’s a sign of is the years and years of hard work that has gone into mixed martial arts – here in Germany, and across other countries, as well. There’s a lot of work being done at the grassroots level. You’re going to have some guys and girls sitting in the audience here tonight saying, ‘I want a piece of that.'”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.