The UFC is heading to Calgary for the first time (Image City-Data.com)

Among the winners of the first Ultimate Fighting Championship event to be held in Calgary, Canada will be the city’s tourism industry, say UFC promoters and local authorities.

Speaking at the announcement of the contest, to be held at the city’s Saddledome on July 21, UFC president Dana White said he expected the economic impact of the event on the city to be “huge”, local media reported.

With suggestions of a windfall of “tens of millions of dollars” to Calgary, UFC’s director of Canadian operations Tom Wright predicted that fans of the sport would flock to the event from all over North America.  

"This is a world-class city and we're so excited to be here with our world-class sport," he said at the announcement, which included dates for events in Toronto and Montreal later in the year.

Nearly 200,000 people have attended the eight UFC events held in Canada since 2008, with gross gate receipts totalling more than CA$40 million.

And with millions more watching at home, Calgary’s tourism officials are naturally excited about the opportunities that such events bring to the city.

Tourism Calgary president and chief executive Randy Williams said the UFC and other high profile events were critical “demand generators” for travel to the city and created “an urgency for visitors to come here”.