UFC Planning to head to Mexico City? Not the Best Idea

The Sherdog Blog posts that the UFC is considering heading to Mexico City,

Velasquez (6-0) may get a chance to fight in front of those die-hard fight fans sooner rather than later. UFC president Dana White has promised an event in Mexico sometime in 2010, and it seems the promotion may be planning on April for their Mexican debut.

The possibility of an event in Mexico has been rumored for some time though the UFC has yet to pull the trigger on the plan. 

While the positives of expanding the UFC brand and the Mexican fan base are noble causes that doesn't change the negatives of holding an event in Mexico City.

Mexico City is one of the most difficult cities to compete for any athlete, just ask the U.S. soccer team (or any soccer team for that matter) which has yet to win a game in Mexico City.

Why is the capital of Mexico so difficult for visiting athletes?

It is because of a mix of dreadful pollution and altitude air. Mexico City is 7,300 feet above sea-level, that's 2,000 feet higher then Denver, Colorado where the UFC held Fight Night 13 in April of 2008. That event was marred with fighters gassing quickly and fights degenerating into an unwatchable product. If the UFC were to go ahead with a Mexico City venue then we would witness those same effects in far greater frequency and potency.

It is not just the thin air that makes Mexico City a rough place for athletes. The pollution in the city is absolutely dreadful. The city is the sixth most polluted city in the world and approximately 100,000 children die every year due to pollution related illness. Over four million tons of toxic emissions are released into the city's air each year.

The pestilent mix of high altitude and high pollution makes Mexico City a graveyard for athletes not properly adjusted for these extreme conditions. Without a doubt holding an event in Mexico City will result in poor quality fights and an overall poor product.

The question facing the UFC is whether the positives of building the brand south of the border outweigh the deficiencies that a Mexico City venue will cause to their product.