WASHINGTON, D.C. – The fact that Reed Harris was hosting UFC on Versus 6's pre-event press conference instead of UFC president Dana White is all the proof you need that the UFC could simultaneously host a show in Japan and Las Vegas.
Harris, the UFC's director of community relations and the former head of the WEC, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the company's multi-team approach to hosting events makes it possible.
His comments came a few days after a Yahoo! Sports report in which White said the UFC is planning to host simultaneous events both in Japan and in Las Vegas, presumably in February.
White, though, didn't detail how the shows would be televised, which is an important note since the UFC traditionally wants to air both live and same-day-delayed shows in primetime slots. But White said the first dual shows, which are expected on Feb. 25, won't be an isolated case; instead, it could be the norm as the UFC continues its international expansion.
From a promotional and television standpoint, it could be a challenge. But from a logistical standpoint, Harris – who hosted the press conference while White was traveling to Washington, D.C. – sees smooth sailing.
"I don't think there will be any challenges," he told MMAjunkie.com. "(In) our company, we have a lot of people that do this. We have different crews, we have different teams that go out and do these events. Obviously, if we have events that go week after week, we don't use the same team. That's why I'm here today since Mr. White couldn't be here."
That means each team has its own production unit, including cages, lighting gear, speakers and the like. One can be shipped to Japan while another remains in Las Vegas for the dual shows.
And from what White is telling executives such as Harris and other employees, 2012 could be the year the organization kicks its promotional efforts, including possible debuts in China and India, into a new gear.
"I know that in meetings I've had, Dana occasionally will have the company come together, and he'll talk to us about the future," he said. "And I know they've talked about doing two shows in one night, and that's the future of the UFC. I know we're going to do more shows next year.
"We've been told to get ready, get your rest now even though we have shows every week because it's really going to get busy next year."
Source: UFC exec says simultaneous events in Japan and Las Vegas won't be a problem
