UFC Withdraws Support from European Judo Championships After Threatened Cancellation
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has withdrawn its support from the upcoming European Judo Championships after the European Judo Union threatened to cancel the event if the promotion remained involved.
The UFC announced its decision in a release on Friday. The European Judo Championships are scheduled to take place April 9-12 at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. The Las Vegas-based promotion was expected to support the event “with branding, marketing and also promotion of the event to their global audience of millions of engaged mixed martial artists,” according to the release.
“We love to see sport thrive and athletes prosper, which is why the UFC prides itself on supporting all combat sports both mixed and individual disciplines. Our aim was to help Judo reach a new audience, increase promotion, help to sell tickets and create a buzz around the European Judo Championships,” said David Allen, the UFC’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa. “It is disappointing to see that the European Judo Union cannot see the benefits of collaboration and celebration of all sports.”
According to the European Judo Championships’ website , the event will “carry key qualification points in the lead up” to the 2016 Olympics. The event is organized by the EJU but is hosted by British judo. The UFC has an association with the British Combat Sports Federation, which led to its involvement with the European Championships.
