UFC Announces TUF-Style Show In Japan

David Becker/AP/Press Association ImagesAt a press conference late Wednesday in Tokyo, while on a media tour in Asia promoting the upcoming UFC Fight Night in China, Dana White announced a historic partnership with Vale Tudo Japan/Shooto to air an MMA competition similar to the Ultimate Fighter, though the show will apparently not carry the TUF name. Vale Tudo Japan initially featured annual tournament format events, run by Shooto, though they later dropped the tournament format. First occurring in 1994, there would be no VTJ event for 10 years between 1999 and 2009. The last VTJ event was in 2013, which saw Megumi Fumi lose her retirement match due to a TKO delivered by Jessica Aguilar in the main event. The deal is historic as the UFC has traditionally refrained from co-promoting events with other organizations. Japan, however, is a notoriously difficult market for a foreign operation to break into, and while the UFC has once again started to host events in the country (including the upcoming UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Hunt in September), this deal likely helps them make inroads in Japan and gain a foothold there. Japanese interest in MMA seemed to fall after the Pride era, however it remains an important, lucrative market for the UFC, and with ONE FC rising in Asia, this deal gives Dana White and company a strong position strategically speaking. As for the show format, it will initially feature bantamweights and featherweights vying for a UFC contract and air on Japanese TV, where it will potentially be available to millions of viewers, and likely UFC Fight Pass as well. The show was confirmed by the UFC on their website, which states that further info will become available around the time of September's UFC event in Japan.