The UFC yesterday announced a number of upcoming events that will take place in Europe between now and the end of 2014. Here are the newly-announced events:
- Berlin, May 31 — the UFC returns to Germany on May 31, and while no bouts have been announced so far the rumor is a “high-profile featherweight” contest will headline the event. It makes sense if it involves Dennis Siver, who is arguably the most popular fighter in Germany today. It’s possible Siver could fight a top contender like Chad Mendes or someone of that ilk, but regardless of opponent expect the stocky German on the card. By the way, May 31 will be a day that features two UFC events: UFC Fight Night 41 in Germany, and the TUF Brazil 3 Finale down in South America.
- Dublin, July 19 — the promotion also heads back to Dublin, Ireland on July 19, and it’s expected Conor McGregor will headline the card. Rumors are swirling he’ll be taking on Cole Miller, the veteran featherweight who has been calling him out for months, but that’s no sure thing as of yet. Either way, expect this to be a huge event as MMA is getting big in Ireland again and the fans there have been waiting for far too long for the promotion to return.
- Stockholm, October 4 — the UFC will head back to Sweden in October, as the third UFC show in Stockholm will take place. This should turn out to be an excellent card chock full of current UFC fighters such as Alexander Gustafsson, Nico Musoke and Magnus Cedenblad, and it was a lock all along the promotion would return to the country as the previous two UFC events held in Stockholm have been grand successes.
- Istanbul, November 22 — and finally, the UFC announced their debut in Turkey, as the promotion heads to Istanbul on November 22. I knew the UFC was planning on a stop in Turkey in 2014, but I still feel like they’re moving in to that territory too quickly. There doesn’t seem to be much of an MMA scene in Turkey, and aside from Alp Ozkilic there are no Turkish fighters on the roster. I’m sure the UFC will sign some Turkish fighters to compete on this card, but still, I would have preferred the last European event of 2014 to be in a different country.
It might seem like a lot, but the UFC’s international schedule in 2014 is starting to shape up, and all of these events should turn out to be a lot of fun when they indeed go down.