PUBLIC MONEY FOR POLITICAL MARKETING: Vučić Allocated €2.2 Million to Bring the UFC to Belgrade!

Aleksandar Vučić, the President of Serbia, met a few days ago with Dana White, the president of the UFC, ahead of the “UFC Fight Night” event being held in Belgrade today.

Also present at the meeting were Sports Minister Zoran Gajić, Minister Darko Glišić, Serbian MMA Federation President Luka Nikolić, and others.

“We will do everything we can to host you in the best possible way. And you must accept all of our offers so that we can make your stay as pleasant as possible in the days ahead,” Vučić said.

The UFC, however, had already accepted the offers—in the form of substantial financial support. The funds were provided directly by the Government of the Republic of Serbia through the Ministry of Sports. As previously reported, the amount totaled an astonishing 260,000,000 dinars, or €2,215,000.

In other words, these were funds from the state budget paid directly to the organizers of what is, it should be noted, a fully commercial sporting event that already generates enormous revenues on its own.

Dana White therefore had 2,215,000 reasons to meet with Aleksandar Vučić, because it is difficult to imagine that there is another country in the world willing to allocate that much money for a single night.

Especially considering that Serbia is one of the poorest countries in Europe and that the annual budget for the entire Serbian sports sector amounts to 2,368,027,200 dinars, or just over €20 million.

Is It Worth More Than 10 Percent of Serbia’s Annual Sports Budget?

Is tonight’s mixed martial arts event in Belgrade worth allocating more than 10 percent of the annual budget for all of Serbian sports from the state treasury? Judge for yourself.

“Thank you for your hospitality and for your time, Mr. President,” a satisfied White said.