The UFC is aiming its sites on the huge hispanic boxing community, with a new UFC highlights show to debut on the Spanish language network Galavision.
“El Octagono,” an hourlong Saturday night series on Galavision, will include fighter interviews, highlights and mixed martial arts education for fight fans who traditionally have flocked to boxing.
UFC lightweight contender Kenny Florian:
“It’s important to get those fans….They’re so passionate about boxing, and this is very much in line with what they like about combat. We know they support Latino fighters in boxing, and now it’s just about giving them more awareness about our sport, and showing them how exciting our fights are. Awareness has been the main obstacle.”
UFC lightweight contender Roger Huerta:
“Once Hispanics see there’s plenty of fighters they can relate to, guys who speak the same language, that’ll be a big plus,” Huerta (22-1-1) said. “It’s like a brotherhood, they can relate to us.”
“I love boxing for what it is, but you see so many different things, and a higher pace, in UFC fights,” Huerta said. “You can see punching, wrestling, submissions. If boxing is like shooting a 9-millimeter, imagine adding in a bazooka and machine gun. With the more weapons we have, the interest will come around. The key thing is just to educate.”
Roger Huerta will take on Kenny Florian at UFC 87 on August 9 from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
