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Josh Ball

UFC boss Kevin Chang believes Macau will be the organisation’s “launch pad to Asia” in 2026, and sees a hunger for the sport not yet served by those already dominant in the region.
The promotion returns to the Galaxy Arena this weekend, with an event co-headlined by China stars Song Yadong and Zhang Mingyang on a main card featuring five more of their compatriots.
There will have been two days of action by then, with season five of Road to UFC opening up what Chang, UFC’s senior vice-president and head of Asia, called one of the “busiest weeks of our entire calendar globally”.
Fighters and fans from across the region have descended on the gambling hub for the fifth time since the inaugural event in 2012, and as with 2024, all 16,000 tickets for Saturday’s spectacle have long since sold out.
Evidence that a partnership which will extend through 2029 “is well beyond the starting-off point” is clear to see, although as with any battle for dominance in the octagon, there is a heavyweight opponent waiting in the wings.

The ONE Championship, which bills itself as the largest combat sports promotion in the East, has a strong position among those not merely focused on mixed martial arts, and has begun extending itself into the West.
Not that Chang is particularly concerned by an Asian rival that traditionally does well with television audiences and through digital channels.
UFC is far from lacking in that aspect. A partnership with China Mobile platform Migu has been extended to 2031, and has already reportedly brought about a surge in followers on Chinese social media.
The latest figure was 17 million across the likes of Weibo and RedNote.
“We know where we stand in our sport, which is top of the mixed martial arts world,” Chang said. “I think anecdotally you could go out and ask any MMA fan, any athlete, where they ultimately want to compete [and it’s here].
“So, no, we don’t have that type of concern out here, or globally really.”
Of more concern might be the rumblings of discontent among fans over the state of some of the matchups, or a seeming lack of big names, or of the fear that when it comes to scale, businesses can overstretch themselves chasing ever more exposure.
“I think we even have more room to expand in this region,” he said. “We went from coming out of Covid, selling out Singapore and then coming into Macau and getting that fantastic response.
“What’s the next step? There are some very hungry markets, a lot of mouths to feed out there, so I think we can continue to expand in that way across the region. I don’t think we are at that point yet of being too much of a good thing.”
There is no doubt though of the need for fresh blood in the sport, and Asia has been supplying much of it, although Chang puts that down to the region “catching up”.
Alongside the likes of Song, Japanese flyweight contender Tatsuro Taira, women’s strawweight prospect Loma Lookboonme from Thailand and South Korea’s Choi Doo-ho represent some of the 30-plus Asian fighters on the roster.

“I think it’s an evolution,” Chang said. “Asia is important in any global strategy and for us that’s what we want to continue to develop and give opportunity to, and doing it in Macau, it just makes it a nice environment to do that.”
The Road to UFC has served as a pathway for those with dreams of reaching the top, and the response from fans has only strengthened the resolve among UFC officials that Asia is the future.
Fighters who have already succeeded at a regional or domestic level are taking their chances to progress, which in return gives Chang’s organisation a better roster.
“There is still a lot of room to grow; we’re very happy with where we are right now and what we’ve been able to accomplish, but I think there is a lot ahead of us,” he said.


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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Macau will be launch pad to Asia as promotion looks East, UFC boss Kevin Chang says

Kevin Chang, UFC's senior vice-president and head of Asia, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of UFC Fight Night at the Galaxy Hotel resort in Macau on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Chinese heavyweight Zhang Mingyang greets the public before a workout session. Photo: AFP

Japan’s Tatsuro Taira (left) is one of 30-plus Asian fighters on the UFC roster. Photo: Imagn Images

UFC Macau: China’s Song Yadong out for statement win against Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo

Chinese fighter Song Yadong (left) taking part in a workout session at the opening ceremony of UFC Fight Night at Macau's Galaxy resort on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo greets fans at the end of a workout session in Macau. Photo: AFP

Song Yadong last fought in China in Beijing in 2018. Photo: The Fight Nation

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Zheng Qinwen crying during her press conference after losing in the French Open first round to Maja Chwalinska of Poland on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

Wang Xiyu has progressed to the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time. Photo: Xinhua

Zheng Qinwen was the world’s fifth-highest-paid female athlete last December. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

China

China’s Song Yadong, Zhang Mingyang headline event at Galaxy Arena this weekend, with the sport having ‘more room to expand in this region’


China’s Song Yadong, Zhang Mingyang headline event at Galaxy Arena this weekend, with the sport having ‘more room to expand in this region’.


China Mobile

ONE Championship

Weibo

Macau will be launch pad to Asia as promotion looks East, UFC boss Kevin Chang says

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}China’s Song Yadong, Zhang Mingyang headline event at Galaxy Arena this weekend, with the sport having ‘more room to expand in this region’

China’s Song Yadong, Zhang Mingyang headline event at Galaxy Arena this weekend, with the sport having ‘more room to expand in this region’