The UFC on Fuel TV 6 will be held early Saturday morning for us in the US as Zuffa makes its first venture into Asia. Interesting enough, Bruce Lee is a dominant figure in the fight promo for the event Saturday.
A quote from Dana White sits atop the promo poster stating that “Bruce Lee is the father of mixed martial arts.” Lee’s image is at the center of the featured main card fighters.
The daughter of Bruce Lee and the president of the Bruce Lee Foundation, Shannon Lee, spoke with The MMA Hour this past week.
Lee told MMAFighting.com:
“In a way the UFC and the rise of MMA have really helped solidify my father’s legacy and position in the world of martial arts,” she said. “That has been really important. There’s always discussion, and I’m sure a lot of people don’t want to have the discussion about Bruce Lee and MMA, and that’s fine but martial arts was really my father’s life.”
When Dana White approached Lee about using her father’s likeness in promoting the company’s card in China, she stated it would be an honor.
Payout Perspective:
The promotional use of Bruce Lee should help with those fans in China (Macau to be specific) that are not familiar with MMA or the UFC. Lee is a revered person in martial arts and the use may help bring a certain portion of martial arts fans to give the UFC a try. Entering the Chinese market, the association of Lee can garner brand trust for the UFC.
As stated in her interview on The MMA Hour, Shannon Lee is working on building a Bruce Lee Action Museum in Seattle. More on that can be found in this article. The area they plan to build would sit in Seattle’s Chinatown District (International District for the more politically correct). Fundraising still goes on for the project.
Good stuff. Really nice first venture into the market. Nice offering by Sheldon Adelson to bring the show there and the reception was good. Per my understanding, I believe that the show aired live (or on delay tomorrow) in some areas of China via Guangdong TV, Chongquing and/or possibly Shanghai Sports.