UFC announces plans to open a Canadian office in Toronto; ex-CFL boss Tom Wright to head operations

By Mike Johnson
CanadianProfighter.com and Examiner.com Reporter


Although the sport of mixed martial arts is not yet sanctioned in Ontario, UFC President Dana White, along with UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta announced that the company is expanding and will open a Canadian office in Toronto. 

“I’m pleased to announce that we have decided to actually have a presence here in Canada,” said Fertitta. “We will be opening an office here in Canada full-time to show our level of commitment.”

Fertitta announced that Tom Wright, former commissioner of the Canadian Football League, will head the UFC-Canada office. “After a long search, talking to a lot of people, we feel like we found the perfect person,” said Fertitta. “[Wright] brings a unique blend of business experience and sports experience.”
When the UFC began its quest for global expansion, they focused on having their product in the United States, Britain and Mexico, places with a rich history in boxing. Three years ago the UFC opened an office in the U.K., with the goal of expanding their brand across Europe and eventually across the globe. 


Canada, however, was not in their immediate plans. But today, Canada is the UFC’s primary focus. “We never saw Canada coming,” said White. “We never realized how big this thing was going to be, and there’s no doubt about it, our second biggest market, outside of the United States, is Canada.”

“When we opened the office in the U.K. our goal there was to sort of ignite mixed martial arts over there and we felt that once we started doing events all over the country it would explode, and we were right,” said White. “It has already exploded here, it’s huge, it’s our second biggest market and to not have an office here is insane. It was time.”

Fertitta added that it makes sense, from a business standpoint, to be in Toronto since it is the fourth biggest commercial business area in North America behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. “Canada represents about 17 per cent of our overall business as a company now, so we look to continue to grow that,” said Fertitta. Between new media, video-on-demand, building UFC gyms, plus merchandise and a successful video game franchise, there are many ways for the UFC to generate income for the province in addition to holding MMA events. 

The UFC-Canada announcement shows how far the sport has evolved in recent years. It will give Ontario’s economy a much-needed shot in the harm, and possibly influence the authorities to take the necessary steps towards legalizing the sport. 

For more information on the UFC visit ufc.com.