The UFC appears to be planning its first trip to a new country in the coming months.
According to Ariel Helwani, the promotion is “close to finalizing” an event in the Republic of Azerbaijan, set for June 2025. This move aligns with the UFC’s ongoing efforts to expand its presence in Europe and Asia, with several major events scheduled throughout the year.
Helwani shared the news in a video posted on X.
“Some breaking news, if you guys want some. … According to sources, the UFC is close to finalizing a debut event in the Republic of Azerbaijan in June later this year,” Helwani said. “Now you may be thinking to yourself, wow, Azerbaijan, that is pretty random. Well, I do want to remind you that there are over 10 million people who reside in the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is technically located in Asia but is bordered by four countries: Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran.
“Now, I do want to stress this — there were a lot of reports that the UFC was going to Qatar in May. Then they seemingly called an audible, and now that event, I think, is happening at the Apex, which is quite the shift,” Helwani continued. “So, I do want to say that things are very fluid right now, but there’s a lot of money being thrown around. Mark Shapiro, the head man over at TKO, mentioned in that conference call we’ve talked about a few times that they were going to move a few Apex events to international locations, right? This would certainly fit as one of them. A date that I’ve seen thrown around is June 21. So, let’s see.”
Meanwhile, the UFC’s next event is scheduled for an overseas location, as The O2 in London hosts the Octagon on March 22. The main event will feature former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards taking on Sean Brady. Originally, Edwards was slated to fight Jack Della Maddalena, but the Australian was reallocated to a title bout against current champ Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, leading to Brady stepping in as Edwards’ opponent.
The co-main event will see former light heavyweight titleholder Jan Błachowicz against Carlos Ulberg.
UFC Executive Dave Shaw recently announced plans to reduce the number of events at the UFC Apex facility in 2025, shifting focus toward more international locations, particularly in Europe. This strategic move aims to bring more live-action events to European fans.
With the UFC’s European schedule for 2025 taking shape, additional event announcements are expected.
