THE wait for a first Ultimate Fighting Championship card in the Philippines may take longer as the world’s biggest mixed martial arts organization has yet to start talks with TV partner ABS-CBN.
UFC Asia executive vice president Mark Fischer last year bared the possibility of holding a fight card, bannered by Pinoy pride Mark Muñoz, in Manila this year.
But Balls channel head Jojo Neri-Estacio said they have yet to hear from the UFC, considering the organization’s fully-booked schedule.
“The UFC already has so many fights scheduled all over the year,” she said. “They’re really struggling with schedules.
“We’re hoping that it’s next year. I’m sure all the fans are hoping that it’s next year.”
The UFC calendar for 2015, Neri-Estacio believes, is coming out later this month or early December.
In the meantime, Filipino MMA fans can content themselves into catching their favorite UFC stars, including Manila visitor Carlos Condit, on TV.
UFC is currently aired on Balls and Sports+Action, but Neri-Estacio said they will air fight cards on their top free TV channel 2 next year.
“We want to be able to bring the UFC more to the masses,” the ABS-CBN official said.
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