The UFC, the world’s leading MMA promotion, could hold its first event in Italy in Jun. 2027 in Turin. The announcement was made in a press release by Piedmont’s Regional Councilor for Tourism and Sport, Paolo Bongioanni.
“We have managed to reach a three-year agreement: in June 2027, we will host the UFC with MMA, mixed martial arts. We have been working toward this result for months,” Bongioanni said.
Immediately after the announcement, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy’s leading sports newspaper, contacted the councilor’s press office, which confirmed the contents of the official statement, specifying that negotiations have been underway for some time, and that only the final signature on the agreement is now pending. The UFC, they added, has, so far, shown full openness to the proposal put forward by the Piedmont Region, which, by hosting an event hugely popular in the United States, would secure significant promotional exposure in a potentially very lucrative market.
American tourists already rank sixth among foreign visitors to the region in terms of total arrivals. Bongioanni, who also has a background as an MMA athlete and has written a novel dedicated to combat sports, thanked Italy’s Ministry of Tourism for its cooperation on the project.
Further confirmation that talks are at an advanced stage has come from sources within the Ministry itself and from the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), although they requested anonymity. It is important to note that the UFC is owned by TKO Group Holdings, as is WWE. The statement regarding the arrival of the UFC in Turin was made by Councilor Bongioanni alongside the announcement that on May 31, the Inalpi Arena, the largest indoor sports arena in Italy, will host Clash, the first WWE Premium Live Event ever to be staged in the country.
The event is part of the WWE European Summer Tour and will feature stars including world heavyweight champion CM Punk, undisputed WWE champion Drew McIntyre, women’s world champion Stephanie Vaquer, WWE women’s champion Jade Cargill and world tag team champions The Usos.
Meanwhile, in Rome, it is worth noting that the U.S. ambassador to Italy is billionaire Tilman Joseph Fertitta, a sports industry entrepreneur who owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets and is also a cousin of former UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta.