UFC EMEA VP James Elliott to step down after Saturday's event in London

The UFC will begin a new chapter after Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 107 event after officials announced that UFC Vice President and General Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa James Elliott is leaving the promotion after tendering his resignation.

Elliott, who stepped up to the top job in Europe in 2015 after the departure of former VP David Allen, previously occupied the role of content director for the organization in the region. His previous roles include soccer-related positions at the The Football Association, Puma and IMG.

Officials today announced Elliott is stepping down from his role at the helm of the UFC’s EMEA operation following Saturday’s UFC Fight Pass-streamed show at The O2 in London. It is understood that UFC VP of International Development Joe Carr will take up the reins, reprising the interim role he held prior to Elliott’s hiring.

“I am incredibly proud to have been part of such a phenomenal organization and to have made my own impact on one of the fastest growing sports in the world,” Elliott stated in today’s announcement. “I’d like to thank all those involved in letting me be a part of the UFC’s journey.

“As I decide to move on to explore new avenues, I leave behind me a team of talented individuals who will continue to grow the brand and sport across the EMEA region. I wish everyone involved continued success.”

Elliott took the helm of the UFC’s London office on Sept. 30, 2015, when he immediately faced a mini-crisis during his first live event. The UFC Fight Night 76 card in Dublin was left in tatters with the loss of the co-main event between Stipe Miocic and Ben Rothwell swiftly followed by an 11th-hour collapse of the main event between Joseph Duffy and Dustin Poirier.

But the team and the event rebounded with an entertaining night at 3Arena capped by Louis Smolka’s submission finish of Irish favorite Paddy Holohan in the replacement main event.

The following year saw Elliott’s London-based team deliver a string of sold-out shows across the continent. UFC Fight Night 84 produced a rapid-fire sellout, despite no main event being announced when tickets went on sale for the 2016 event. The eventual headliner, a middleweight clash between Anderson Silva and Britain’s own Michael Bisping, produced one of the year’s best fights and arguably the most thrilling UFC main event to grace The O2.

Sellout events in the international markets of Zagreb, Rotterdam and Hamburg followed before the biggest show of Elliott’s stewardship saw Bisping return to British soil to make a successful title defense of his newly won middleweight title against Dan Henderson at UFC 204 in Manchester.

That show was staged in the early hours of the morning in the U.K. to accommodate the U.S. pay-per-view time slot and was a qualified success with another sold-out crowd, which raised the roof for Bisping, who led a host of British victories on a memorable night for MMA in the U.K.

Elliott also successfully consolidated the UFC’s broadcast rights for the U.K. and Ireland, with fans now able to watch every main card and TV preliminary card live as part of their BT Sport subscription.

It ended a period of fragmented TV rights in which some shows were available on TV while others were left exclusive to the UFC’s streaming platform, UFC Fight Pass.

For more on UFC Fight Night 107, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.