After years of promises to break into the market, the UFC is set to venture into the Russian Federation for the first time in the promotion’s history. The long-awaited debut is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 15 at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, and will feature a host of homegrown talent, including Aleksei Oleinik, who will face Mark Hunt in the evening’s main event.
While the UFC’s inaugural event in Russia is a modest fight card devoid of superstar fighters such as lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the event will take place amidst an interesting shift in the Russian MMA landscape.