UFC 275: Teixeira and Shevchenko put belts on line, promoter returns to Singapore with world title and PPV firsts for Asia
- UFC 275 is set to go down on June 12 at the Singapore Indoor Arena – marking Southeast Asia’s first world title bouts, and first PPV event
- ‘It just it speaks to the pent-up demand. We want it to come out with a big splash and this is how we’re going to do it,’ says UFC’s Asia boss
UFC promised Asia MMA fans a ‘jam-packed fight week’ that would be one to remember, as it announced a return to Singapore on Tuesday for a blockbuster event featuring several world title fights.
With fight boss Dana White highlighting “an absolutely stacked card” for UFC 275, the organisation also hinted that news regarding the involvement of big-name fighters from Southeast Asia was “on the horizon”
And in a first for the region, the event, which will be held at Singapore Indoor Arena on June 12, will also be pay-per-view.
Among the fights already slated for June, are Brazilian light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira (33-7) facing off against the No 2-ranked Czech Jiri Prochazka (28-3-1), while the Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (22-3) will put her belt on the line against the No 5-ranked Brazilian Taila Santos (19-1).
The event will mark the first time the UFC has hosted title fights in Southeast Asia, as well as the region’s first pay-per-view event, as it continues to rekindle its global ambitions as the world increasingly adapts to life with Covid-19.
“It just speaks to the pent-up demand that we’ve had over the past three years for this – taking it to another level with a pay-per-view event,” Kevin Chang, UFC senior vice-president, Asia-Pacific, told the Post.
“Singapore made sense, because of their [Covid-19] policies and the way that they’re handling things in the pandemic. We know the place, we’ve been there four times, it’s just a very favourable environment for us to go. We want it to come out with a big splash and this is how we’re going to do it.”
