UFC tournament in Moscow becomes Russia’s most attended MMA event ever

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tournament in Moscow has set the attendance record for a mixed martial arts (MMA) event in Russia, UFC Vice President David Shaw told reporters.

According to the official, the event in Moscow was attended by 22,603 people, the highest ever attendance in Russia and the fifth-ever for an UFC event worldwide.

Shaw said the organization now plans to hold one or two tournaments in Russia next year and views Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg, Black Sea resort of Sochi and Far Eastern city of Vladivostok as possible venues.

The CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, whose organization is among co-founders of UFC Russia, described the event in Moscow as a success.

"We witnessed a successful start of UFC in Russia. 22,600 spectators created an amazing atmosphere, and the athletes demonstrated good performance: Russian fighters emerged victorious in nine out of 12 bouts, including Alexei Oleinik’s most convincing victory in the main event. Now we can develop actively in Russia and take Russian athletes to the international level," he said.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tournament took place at Moscow’s Luzhniki (Olimpiyskiy) stadium. The event had a 12-bout lineup.

In the main event of the evening, Russia’s Aleksei Oleinik defeated Mark Hunt of New Zealand by submission in the first round.