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Mixed martial arts-UFC to debut in Seoul in November

SEOUL (Reuters) - The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to expand its presence in Asia with an event in Seoul in November, the mixed martial arts promotion announced on Saturday. Kenneth Berger, general manager of UFC Asia, said in a statement: “The UFC in Asia is growing at an impressive pace and this event in Seoul will mark our second new market this year. "South Korea has some of Asia’s best MMA athletes and this event is fully expected to illustrate just how powerful and technical these fighters have become." The event will be held at Seoul's Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena on Nov. 28, the UFC said shortly after Saturday night's event in Manila. MMA is a full contact combat sport that allows fighters to utilise techniques from both striking and grappling martial arts such as boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, wrestling and judo. Already hugely popular in mature MMA markets such as the United States, Brazil, Japan and Canada, the UFC is looking to extend its reach in Asia and has also staged events in Singapore, Tokyo and Macau. A number of Korean fighters are on the UFC's books including Kim Dong-hyun, Lim Hyun-gyu and Jung Chan-sung. The latter, better known as the 'Korean Zombie', is currently fulfilling his mandatory military service. (Reporting by Peter Rutherford; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)