Speaking at a press conference in Stockholm, three UFC athletes, each representing their home country where the events are set to take place, confirmed that the UFC would this year host events in Poland, Germany and Scotland.
Poland, announced by Jan Blachowicz and Scotland, announced by Joanne “BadMofo” Calderwood, will be debut events on the UFC calendar while the UFC will return to Germany, announced by Nick “Sergeant” Hein, following a successful event in May 2014.
UFC Scotland will take place on July 18 at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow.
Scottish UFC women’s strawweight fighter, Joanne “BadMofo” Calderwood, delivered the news that fans up and down her home country have long been waiting for: “People at home have been asking the UFC to come to Scotland for so long now, so I just know this will be a sellout,” said Calderwood. “It would be a dream come true for me to fight in Glasgow for the UFC. The opportunity to step inside the Octagon in front of a home crowd would be something I’d never forget.”
In 2014 the UFC hosted sell-out events in multiple locations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Events in cities including London, Dublin and Stockholm attracted fans from all over the world, and the UFC has made no secret of its intention to increase the number of events it holds across EMEA in 2015.
“We are wholly committed to the growth of mixed martial arts in these regions,” said Allen. “And we understand that in order to facilitate and drive this growth, we need to reach new markets and actively explore new territories.
“2015 is about bringing fans closer to the sport they follow so fervently and to the athletes that they support so passionately. This year, we will host events that will be remembered for years to come, and we intend to place cities like Kraków, Glasgow and Berlin firmly on the map when it comes to the sport of mixed martial arts.”
UFC Scotland will give some of Scotland’s finest fighters a chance to showcase their style and talent. surely Calderwood will be the main event supported in the co main event by Robert Whiteford.
Then we have Cage Warrior Champion Steven Ray who will surely get the call up that he deserves to finally achieve his dream of fighting in the UFC.
Then we have Shaun the Disgrace taylor who has only tasted defeat once and will be desperate to showcase his talents on the big stage and there is a lot more hungry Scottish fighters ready to show what Scotland is made of.
July all eyes will be on Scotland and we can’t wait.