UFC Fight Night Baku is the first UFC event in the CIS region in 6 years since its last Fight Night in Moscow. Organized locally by Baku City Circuit (BCC), the event generated high expectations from both UFC and regional fans.

Our main objective was to activate fans from across the CIS and maximize event attendance. As a location Baku offered a number of distinct advantages: geographic proximity, economic affordability, and cultural familiarity compared to other UFC locations.

What we did:

• Employed the UFC's established communication channels specific for that region: official social media of UFC in Telegram, its Fight Pass Telegram-bot and newsletters.
• Employed the instruments of our key regional ticketing partner Yandex Afisha such as its unique base of MMA-viewers from Kinopoisk, frequent travelers to Baku from Travel and listners of specific audio genres from Yandex Music which are related to MMA and UFC.
• Partnered up with the biggest OTA in Russia — Ostrovok.ru in order to offer a specific discount to more than 600+ hotels and accommodation options in Baku for UFC fans along with a tailored promo-campaign which highlights the see sights of the city and top spots to attend while waiting for the event night.
• Deployed targeted email campaigns through our database with audience-specific offers.
• Implemented comprehensive localization for BCC, ensuring messaging, language, and promotional mechanics resonated with CIS audiences.
• Collaborated with UFC's central marketing team to align activations while tailoring content for regional relevance.

Our localization strategy delivered strong results:

• Via UFC Eurasia communication channels we reached more than 15 million impressions.
• Via Yandex Afisha and its ecosystem components we have managed to reach to 5 mln. fans and individuals interested in MMA.
• With Ostrovok we ensured more than 500 booking for the dates of the event.
• Overall ticket sales grossed in the ballpark of six figures $.

To crown it all, we have managed to the event generated high engagement among CIS fans and significantly exceeded projected attendance figures, establishing Baku as a promising UFC market.