5 European cities the UFC should visit next year

The UFC will debut in France this weekend as UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa takes place at the Accor Arena in Paris on Saturday.

France has emerged as a hotbed for MMA in recent years. The European nation has already produced a former interim champion in Ciryl Gane, who will have the French faithful behind him on September 3.

The promotion has been largely restricted to the United States, Abu Dhabi, and England since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the MMA leader will likely look to break into new markets and return to some of the destinations they've previously visited.

With that in mind, here are five European cities that the UFC should visit next year.

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#5. Copenhagen, Denmark

The UFC has put on a show in Denmark just once previously – a Fight Night event in 2019 that was headlined by middleweight contenders Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier.

While there aren't too many ranked Danish contenders in the promotion, putting on fight cards in smaller countries tends to spark an interest in the sport, which could pay dividends in the future.

Nicolas 'Danish Dynamite' Dalby and Denmark-based Damir Hadzovic will likely feature on a fight card in Copenhagen, as will a number of European fighters. The most notable Danish figure in the UFC is unbeaten lightweight contender Mark O. Madsen, who could be the frontrunner to headline a Fight Night in Copenhagen down the line.

The credentialed Greco-Roman wrestler represented Denmark at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016, winning a silver medal in the latter before fully committing to MMA.

Madsen has never tasted defeat in his professional MMA career and is 4-0 in the UFC. 'The Olympian' has emerged as an ominous presence at 155 pounds and, considering his wrestling prowess, is a nightmare stylistic matchup for most top-tier lightweights.

The main event slot in Madsen's home country could serve as the perfect springboard for his ascent up the rankings.

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#4. Amsterdam, the Netherlands

The world's premier MMA promotion has been to the Netherlands just twice previously, visiting Rotterdam back in 2016 and 2017. They haven't been on Dutch soil since and it's about time they return.

While there aren't many fighters from the Netherlands in the UFC right now, the European nation has a uniquely heterogeneous population and a storied history with combat sports, especially the striking arts.

Notable Dutch combat figures include former PRIDE champion Bas Rutten, and former UFC fighters Alistair Overeem, Gegard Mousasi, Melvin Manhoef and Stefan Struve. Kickboxing legends Rico Verhoeven and Badr Hari, former UFC champion Germaine de Randamie, and ONE double champion Reinier de Ridder are also among the greatest fighters to hail from the Netherlands.

The Ziggo Dome in the country's capital, Amsterdam, is the ideal location for a Dutch Fight Night event. The world-class indoor arena ranks among the best in the world and is on par with American arenas in terms of capacity. The Netherlands is certainly a big market for combat and a timely Fight Night show next year could see an influx of Dutch talent down the line.

Amsterdam is yet to host the Ultimate Fighting Championship [Image via @TjinMMA on Twitter]

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#3. Milan, Italy

An inaugural UFC event in Italy is long overdue. It's unclear why the promotion hasn't gone to any major Italian cities as of yet, but with MMA growing in popularity across the country, it's only a matter of time.

The lack of suitable indoor arenas is probably why the MMA leader hasn't visited Italy. Only a handful of arenas in the country can seat over 10,000 people, and the sole arena in Rome, the nation's capital, only seats around 11,000. However, there are other major cities in Italy that could host a major MMA event.

Milan, one of the biggest cities in the country, is certainly an intriguing option. The fashion capital of the world has a relatively young population, in addition to having one of the biggest indoor arenas in the country – The Mediolanum Forum – which can accommodate up to 13,000 spectators.

Milan also happens to be very close to Mezzocorona, the hometown of former title challenger Marvin Vettori, one of the biggest names in the middleweight division. Vettori, nicknamed 'The Italian Dream', has vowed to become the first UFC champion from his country.

If a UFC Fight Night event hits Italy, he'd undoubtedly be the main attraction in the headlining role.

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#2. Barcelona, Spain

There appear to be certain restrictions and hurdles the UFC needs to overcome while putting on events across Europe.

Local athletic commissions are likely the reason for this as MMA still doesn't quite get the recognition it deserves from some European nations. This is evident in the fact that the organization has visited Germany six times, while having never set foot in countries like Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Austria.

Spain remains the biggest market that the UFC is yet to tap into. There were rumblings about a Spanish Fight Night event in 2020, but those were quickly squashed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent government-imposed lockdowns.

Spain, although not very well represented at the highest level of MMA, has a few standout stars. Undefeated featherweight Ilia Topuria and promising lightweight Joel Alvarez are the two top Spanish stars on the roster right now.

Topuria, in particular, is regarded by many as a future title challenger and champion. The 25-year-old is undoubtedly a championship-caliber fighter, having accrued a perfect 12-0 record so far, comprising 11 finishes. 'El Matador' would be the likliest contender to headline a Fight Night event on Spanish soil.

Joel Alvarez (left) and Ilia Topuria (right) [Images via @joelelfenomenoalvarez and @iliatopuria on Instagram]

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#1. Prague, Czech Republic – The first UFC PPV in mainland Europe

The promotion's lone visit to the Czech Republic came in February 2019, when surging light heavyweights Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos collided in the headliner. UFC Prague featured seven finishes and was an entertaining watch from start-to-finish, culminating in a spectacular knockout in the main event.

While the aforementioned Fight Night likely boosted the promotion's stock in the Czech Republic, another blockbuster event next year could serve as a real game-changer. The central European nation now has a world champion in Jiri Prochazka, who could potentially take a UFC title fight to Prague.

If there were any doubts about the popularity of MMA in the Czech Republic, one look at Prochazka's incredible homecoming after winning the light heavyweight championship should alleviate any such concerns.

Jiri Prochazka appears to be gearing up for a rematch with former champion Glover Teixeira. If he loses the title, the enigmatic Czech phenom could rebound with a headlining spot on a regular Fight Night in his native country.

On the flipside, if he successfully defends his belt, Prochazka could potentially bring the pay-per-view experience to Prague.