Ahead of this Saturday night’s UFC 89 show in Birmingham, England, UFC UK division president Marshall Zelaznik has spoken of the company’s plans to expand into mainland Europe.

Zelaznik’s comments come after Lorenzo Fertitta’s whistle-stop tour of the UK, Ireland and the continent last month.

“Italy, Germany and Finland and are all on the list, which I think demonstrates our global commitment to this sport,” said Zelaznik, who added that fans can expect an announcement in “the next couple of months” regarding an event in Europe.

Fans in Ireland already have UFC 93 to look forward to in January, but for now, the attention is firmly on Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena as Michael Bisping takes on Chris Leben in the main event of the night on Saturday.

There’s a strong UK influence for the show, as previewed by Martin Smith here at iFight365.com earlier today.

And Zelaznik believes the strong European presence is proof of UFC’s commitment to the continent, adding: “This is the most Euro heavy fight card the UFC has ever put on and it really shows the commitment to the market expansion plans we have.”

iFight365.com will have full coverage from Friday’s UFC 89 weigh-ins as they happen, as well as live coverage of UFC 89 on Saturday evening.

Phil Lowe
phil@ifight365.com

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