Marshall Zelaznik explains why UFC plans to visit smaller Brazilian cities

JARAGUA DO SUL, Brazil – Here’s how little known the Brazilian city of Jaragua do Sul is: UFC executive Marshall Zelaznik had to tell even the organization’s Brazilian partners where it’s located when he first began discussing UFC on FX 8, which takes place Saturday in the city, with them.

But, as he today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) at a press conference in support of the FX-televised event, once he mentioned the hosting venue – the 15,000-seat Arena Jaragua – most were familiar with the region.

While the organization has recently ventured to well-known Brazilian cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in its recommitment to the country, Zelaznik said visiting cities such as Jaragua do Sul, home to fewer than 150,000 residents, could soon become the norm.

After all, UFC on FX 8 is already nearing sellout status with “probably less than a hundred tickets” left, according to Zelaznik. It’s a solid effort, especially considering the card isn’t nearly as deep as some other recent ones in Brazil. And it’s the encouragement officials need to branch out from the country’s main population centers and venture to some new markets.

“It’s really part of our objective,” Zelaznik said. “We’re going to hold a lot of events in Brazil. It’s far and away the largest international market for us. It deserves the attention. The fans want it. So we’re going to do our best to bring our events to venues that other people may not think of because we know we have a product people want to see.”

After all, Zelaznik said that in Brazil, it’s more important to find a suitable venue than a big host city. Brazilian fans will flock to the shows either way.

He got proof of that when he looked at the ticket-sales data for Saturday’s event. According to Zelaznik, 80 percent of UFC on FX 8's tickets were bought directly from the arena, which is a substantial number.

“I think what’s become very apparent is that there are a lack of venues in Brazil, so what we’ve done with our … partners is we’ve identified all the venues that we think can hold a UFC event,” he said. “Jaragua do Sul popped up. It’s a great market. … While not many people know Jaragua do Sul, they will after this event because I suspect these fighters will put on an amazing event.”

For the latest on UFC on FX 8, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Marshall Zelaznik)