UFC exec Dave Shaw on Leon Edwards’ residence loss, worldwide plans, Aspinall-Jones and extra

LONDON – Following the promotion’s return to London for UFC Struggle Evening 255 on Saturday, government Dave Shaw spoke to members of the media at The O2.

Shaw, the promotion’s senior vice chairman of worldwide operations, talked about extra common occasions in Europe, Sean Brady’s win over Leon Edwards, Molly McCann’s retirement and extra.

On the London crowd

All in all, good return to London. You had the profitable occasion in Manchester final 12 months, so it’s good to get again. It looks like this March date works out rather well for our calendar. It’s good to be again. We had a ton of our European broadcasters that got here in to observe. I assumed the fights have been nice total.

On Brady’s efficiency

It was good to see a very simply dominant efficiency by Brady. Actually attention-grabbing – I didn’t suppose it was going to go that method, and I assume neither did the gang. However it was fairly spectacular – fairly spectacular efficiency.

On planning U.Okay. occasions

We don’t base it on the fighters. That is like, you realize, calendar set 6 to 9 months out. We’re at all times attempting to be within the UK twice a 12 months. Generally it really works out and generally it doesn’t. Additionally pushed by the opposite occasions that we wish to do all through Europe all through the Center East, North Africa. However usually we enter yearly attempting to get to the. UK twice. It’s potential (we’ll be again in 2025).

On Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones

What Dana (White) and the matchmakers are at all times doing is simply letting fighters be themselves. And so in the event that they wish to bounce within the narrative and proceed to push it ahead, it doesn’t harm. They’re going to do no matter they wish to do. They’re not going to get anybody telling them not to try this kind of factor. What do I believe? I believe it’s nice. I believe everybody’s actually desirous about seeing this combat. I’m unsure when it’s going to come back collectively. I believe Dana was dropping some hints that information may very well be coming quickly, however by way of timing, nothing to to say proper now.

On Molly McCann’s retirement

She talked about on the finish in her retirement speech she would possibly wish to play a job (within the firm), and also you take a look at among the athletes that we’ve acquired in several areas all over the world (after) their UFC combating profession and the affect that they make. I imply there’s no higher instance than (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira in Brazil. The man is on the market each week – he’s constructing homes, he’s elevating cash, he’s doing clinics with underprivileged youth. I believe there’s an actual function for lots of athletes that come and have a profitable profession, both on a worldwide foundation or a neighborhood foundation. They wish to give again, they wish to use the talents that they’ve acquired, the profile that they’ve constructed to make an affect on the group, to assist proceed to construct our model. Oftentimes, it comes within the type of instructing. All these athletes have been taught nicely all their lives, and for them to now give again (is massive). So by way of an envoy function, I believe throughout her profession she couldn’t have carried out significantly better, however the alternative to now springboard into one thing that’s extra significant for the remainder of her life, I believe it’s one thing that we actually must construct round.

On potential for prime time occasions in France

We’ve carried out quite a lot of these pay per views both in the course of the night time, in sure circumstances. We’ve carried out them in native prime time. We talked extensively in regards to the limitations that we’ve acquired to do pay-per-views in non-traditional broadcast window time for North America. It really works in Australia as a result of it’s a Sunday afternoon occasion. To do an occasion in Europe or the Center East pay-per-view, that is more difficult for us. Having mentioned that, we simply talked about Manchester. So may we do it? Sure. We haven’t seemed at among the limitations that we would have from a venue or an ordinance perspective. Generally you simply can’t get a allow. It’s essential take into consideration transportation. There’s numerous issues that go into with the ability to have an occasion, a pay-per-view occasion, in the course of the night time. So I believe the principle card in Manchester final summer season was at 3 a.m. So the principle combat didn’t actually stroll until 5:30. Are you able to do this in Paris? I’m unsure if we even requested the query. If that’s the case, we would. It’s been massive gates, at all times offered out three occasions in a row with arguably one of the crucial raucous crowds that we’ve acquired. Manon (Fiorot from France is) competing in Montreal. WE hhope to see Benoit Saint Denis come again at some point. So may you fill (an area in the course of the night time). The mandatory athletes to promote sufficient tickets in the course of the night time at a pay-per-view common ticket worth, I believe you might.

On Europe’s Oktagon promotion and its success

It’s undoubtedly encouraging. We’ve heard rather a lot in regards to the RTL (broadcast group in Europe). I believe they broadcast occasions on RTL. We simply renewed our deal in Germany and so they talked rather a lot about development of the game and citing what Oktagon has been doing, which I believe is nice. What does it do for us? Clearly it helps generate quite a lot of native athletes, and so the pipeline is stronger for athletes in these specific areas. It galvanizes a fan base, helps make broadcast and media values enhance and it exhibits that there’s demand from a ticket gross sales perspective. So for us, it’s extraordinarily encouraging – not for 2025, however 2026 the following doubtless window that we contemplate, and that’s partly to do with the printed state of affairs that we’ve acquired within the U.S.

On an occasion in Spain

Right here’s the state of affairs with Spain. We’ve acquired to search out the precise vacation spot. We’ve talked about it rather a lot – we’re not going to venues that don’t have a roof. It doesn’t make any sense for athletes, for the product, for the integrity of the product. We wish the enjoying subject to be equal and never have the identical type of climate variables that you simply’d have in soccer or soccer or golf or no matter else. So difficult for us, if there’s a venue that we will go to, then we’ll proceed to have a look at Spain. Having mentioned that, there’s very robust curiosity on Dana’s entrance, so we’ve simply acquired to determine the place to go.

On Ilia Topuria’s light-weight future

It’s throughout social, proper? It’s very busy – (he’s going to be a) new period, new persona. I’m unsure what he’s acquired cooking up, but it surely seems like he’s acquired one thing attention-grabbing. I don’t know (who he’s going to combat). It’s lower than me. I don’t know the reply to that query. I’m positive they’ve acquired a protracted checklist of men. I’m positive he’s acquired a protracted checklist of men. I believe if he’s acquired a method he’s bringing to market and he’s already publicizing fairly, fairly closely, I’m positive it’s not nearly him. I’m positive it’s in regards to the pathway he desires to (be on) – what weight class, what belt, and what he desires to attain on this new chapter.

On an occasion in Africa

We’ve acquired a fairly intensive relationship with the Division of Tradition and Tourism in Abu Dhabi and the way in which that we handle our relationship with them is the attitude – not simply Abu Dhabi. The attitude is the area, and the area is Center East, North Africa. So in working with them, there’s quite a lot of completely different nations that we’ve recognized as locations for us over the following few years. We’ve been in Abu Dhabi and we’ve been in Riyadh. However we’ve been eager about Bahrain, we’ve been eager about Qatar, we’ve been eager about Jordan, we’ve been eager about just a few completely different nations there – an order of operations to it. So relating to North Africa particularly, nothing to reveal in the intervening time. However I believe continental Africa for us is absolutely compelling and we’ve been speaking for some time about whether or not it’s South Africa or Rwanda, or can we go to a French-speaking nation. There’s just a few completely different choices. There’s numerous logistics at play. We’ve acquired to have the precise athletes.

On new markets

It’s an enormous precedence. There’s a lot pleasure unlocking new markets and also you don’t get to do it that always. We did just a few years in the past in France and it’s been such an excellent journey. There’s just a few different nations that we try to get to this 12 months, and hopefully within the subsequent few weeks we’ve acquired some bulletins. However it’s a very particular second as a result of there’s clearly the pent-up demand. There’s this complete idea of giving again to the followers which have been asking for it for some time. So I believe for us it’s actually significant, and then you definitely’ve acquired athletes who invariably are saying, ‘Hey, you’ve acquired to come back to my nation, and right here’s how we will make it work. We’ve acquired connections. The federal government there are sponsors that you simply guys can attain out to.’ So one of the best advocates in lots of instances are the athletes. The athletes play a serious function in that. For me personally and for, you realize, the unimaginable groups that UFC has in seven completely different places of work that we’ve acquired all over the world, it’s essential to them, too. It’s one thing we’re actually pushing for, but it surely’s not as straightforward as attempting to e-book the O2 or attempting to get again to Paris.

On the brand new previous gloves

I believe, Dana (White), Sean (Shelby), Mick (Maynard), Hunter (Campbell), they spoke to numerous completely different athletes and everybody appears to wish to return to the previous gloves. In order that’s the plan till it’s not, and there’ll be different gloves. However I believe for now we’re going to proceed to roll with these.

On a return to Amsterdam

The 2 occasions that we’ve had in Rotterdam have been glorious. Amsterdam is at all times robust and difficult as a result of the allow course of in Amsterdam is absolutely onerous. It’s very tough for us to get a allow, if you happen to can imagine it. (Netherlands) for us in ’25, doubtless not a chance. 2026, we’re assured that as we undergo the U.S. media rights deal and we’ve acquired a brand new set of phrases with both our present associate in ESPN or whoever is desirous about partnering with us within the U.S. and probably different nations all over the world, the intention – and we’re being very deliberate about this – is to have an elevated variety of prime time occasions that we will have all through Europe and the Center East and China, for that matter yearly. There’s limitations on what we will do now, and the intention for us is to be sure that we’ve acquired a better ceiling on the variety of occasions, a higher variety of occasions that we will do in prime time. That’s after we’ll find a way to consider Germany and getting again to Prague and, after all, Netherlands.

On a return to Poland

I believe we’ve had some fairly profitable gates. We’ve had quite a lot of profitable occasions. There’s no scarcity of athletes. There’s additionally quite a lot of locations we go to. If we’ve acquired a limitation on what number of occasions that we will do in prime time, and we don’t actually wish to do middle-of-the-night occasions, Paris, London, among the locations the place we’ve both acquired an elevated variety of athletes, we’ve acquired our groups right here, we’ve acquired main media offers, these usually are larger precedence locations. London is a vacation spot for us. I can’t keep in mind the final time we’ve carried out a press convention with this many media. Assured {that a} important quantity (of ticket gross sales) have been exterior of the U.Okay. It’s the vacation spot – it’s straightforward for individuals to come back to, o it makes it simpler to promote tickets. We’ve acquired a very wholesome relationship with Pulsat and quite a lot of different companions in Poland, and it is going to be on the checklist for 2026 and past.

For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC Fight Night 255.