In a press conference held by telephone, Dana White spoke of how the event’s popularity has brought about more athletes and how he plans to increase the number of TUFs (The Ultimate Fighter reality show, with the objective of producing more athletes) around the world. Although hopes are high there will be a version in Brazil, Dana White made no mention of the South American country as a candidate.
Shogun trains with Tuba during GRACIEMAG.com visit to TUF academy. Photo: Carlos Ozório.
“The more popular the sport becomes, the more talent appears all around the world. We’re going to put together a The Ultimate Fighter in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Philippines. This is a way for us to cultivate talent,” explains Dana White, who also affirmed that the UFC is watched on 500 million television sets around the world and that in the coming months this number should double.
“We’re working on some contracts that will be sealed in the coming months that will put the UFC in a billion homes around the world,” he said.