This came up recently on MMA Fighting’s Between the Links, and I actually think it’s a really good idea: the UFC should have four annual “majors,” similar to golf or tennis.
The UFC could create the same kind of rhythm. The easiest way to do it would be to think globally. A lot of big companies break the world into three major regions: the Americas, APAC and EMEA. The UFC could use the same idea, with International Fight Week in Las Vegas acting as the permanent fourth major.
So the calendar would look something like this:
Q1: APAC Major
Q2: International Fight Week in Las Vegas
Q3: EMEA Major
Q4: Americas Major
(It would be called something else… just using the region for now)
International Fight Week would basically become the UFC’s version of the Masters. That’s the one that never moves. Las Vegas is UFC headquarters. The Performance Institute is there. The company’s history is tied to the city. So every year in Q2, that should be the home major. The other three majors should rotate.
For Q1, I’d make it the APAC Major.
Australia would probably host most often because it’s already one of the UFC’s strongest international markets, but it shouldn’t be locked there every year. You could rotate through Sydney, Perth and Melbourne, then occasionally go somewhere like Auckland, Singapore or China.
And every once in a while, do something really ambitious in Tokyo. If they ever had the right card and the right stars, I’d love to see the UFC go all-in on a Tokyo major and lean into the history of Japanese MMA. Not in a cheesy way, but make it feel different. Different presentation, different entrances, more emphasis on the history of PRIDE and Japanese combat sports. That could be one of those events fans talk about for years.
Then in Q3, you have the EMEA Major.
I’d rotate it mostly through four places: London, Paris, Abu Dhabi, and a wildcard city. The wildcard could be Madrid one year, Dublin another, maybe another European or Middle Eastern city if the market is there.
The key point is that these cities can still get UFC events in other years. If Abu Dhabi has the EMEA Major this year, London can still host a Fight Night. But when London gets the actual major, it should feel different.
Then Q4 would be the Americas Major.
This one should mostly stay in the United States, but rotate around. New York would obviously be a big part of it because MSG already feels like one of the UFC’s unofficial major events. Some years, you could line it up with MSG in November or December. Other years, go to Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, maybe Dallas or another major market.
The main thing is that these majors actually need to feel different. Do a real fan expo. Have legends there. Make weigh-ins bigger. Create more shoulder programming throughout the week. Maybe even experiment with a very short entertainment segment during the show.
Q1 — APAC
Australia most years, with occasional stops in New Zealand, Singapore, China or Tokyo.
Q2 — International Fight Week
Las Vegas every year. The UFC’s Masters.
Q3 — EMEA
London, Paris, Abu Dhabi, plus a rotating wildcard.
Q4 — Americas
Mostly rotating through major U.S. cities, with MSG as one of the recurring anchors.
The UFC is global enough now to pull this off.
And honestly, it would make the calendar a lot more fun.
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