Was looking at the current UFC champs and each one is either from Brazil or USA / Canada.
Basically each champ is from south or north america: 3 brazilians, 3 americans and 1 canadian.
IMO, this means MMA is still a VERY niche sport. This especially the fact that there is no representative from Europe/Asia.
Consider the fact that in Olympic combat sports (which are basically pro-level):
1. Wrestling: Both Greco and Freestyle, Brazil is nonexistent and USA is marginal at best. Canada is also nonexistent. Wrestling is basically dominated by Russians and the republics.
2. Judo: USA is nonexistent and Brazil is strong, but not as strong as Japan, France and others. Canada again is nonexistent.
3. Boxing: Brazil nonexistent (considered very weak) and USA is marginal at best.
So from the core Olympic combat sports, USA/Canada/Brazil, their combination is much worse than say Russia alone.
Despite its growth in the USA, MMA is at almost zero-level in Europe/Russia. I am in Europe now and was training Judo the other day and 95% of people have no idea what UFC really is ("something to do with fight entertainment is the most common reply, but not real sports).
It reminds somehow of Women's MMA in a global scale. Its a very niche sport and where the top athletes are really not participating.
So I wonder when the UFC will start somehow properly expanding into Europe / Russia / former USSR ? I guess at the end it is all financial: Brazil's economy is booming while these other places are not.
Nonetheless, I would love to see UFC properly expanding in Europe and really making the sport global.
The UFC hasn't been around long enough under Zuffa. Growth, while inevitable, takes a long, long time. 
It's still pretty much unheard of here in England.
It is actually amazing that we have fighters like Bisping, Pearson etc competing at such a high level.
Your post makes two different points.
1- MMA is not that popular worldwide
2- if "combat" athletes from Europe and Asia were more interested, they would have more titles
1 is correct. 2 is not.
Your argument about wrestling is that wrestling is all Russia and former USSR. Well, guess what? There are a lot of successful Russia/former USSR fighters. There don't happen to be any champs this minute, but there have been, and there are lots of contenders.
As for judo, I am not sure it is a combat sport in a way that works for MMA. We have had some high-level judoka fight in MMA, but unless they had the ground emphasis of jiu-jitsu or advanced striking, they didn't do very well. (yes, I know judo comes from jiu-jitsu). And as for Japan... come on, MMA is known in Japan, and there are many Japanese fighters.
And no one who is a pure boxer can succeed in MMA. (Also, I think calling the US marginal in boxing and wrestling is a little wrong, but even so-- note that you mention the US in both categories.)
As for non-Russian Europeans, most just don't dominate in any of true combat sports (except maybe sport judo), so I don't see why you would expect them to be at the top of MMA either. Yes, there are some Dutch kickboxers (like the UFC champ) and some Italian boxers, but it's not like combat sports worldwide are known for tons of Frenchies or Spaniards.
The USA freestyle wrestling team is one of the top teams in the world. They placed 3rd in the world championships in September and are expected to compete for the top spot at the Olympics this summer.
The women's team is consistently near the top and the greco team is only a couple of years removed from their world championship.
Don't mean to get off topic but in that sense, American Football is a niche sport. The same quote could be be applied in most countries outside north america: "Its a very niche sport and where the top athletes are really not participating"
Lol at american boxers giving a shit about the olympics anymore.
The olympics changing the scoring system after RJJ got robbed has really hurt the sport. 
The model in the US was pretty simple. Build up a great sport. Get it on free TV. Make billions.
If TUF Brazil proves to be effective, you will see TUF UK, TUF, Sweden, etc.
Further, Zuffa is a truly smart company. They are going to go where the money for MMA is. If it is PI, there they will be. If French fans never embrace the sport, maybe a bilion Chinese will.
Please don't make it seem that Canada is the same country as the USA.
Otherwise, Interesting post. I think it all comes down to exposure and where the money can be made as Kirik says above. As the UFC expands to Europe and likely Asia I think we wil be seeing a lot of new developments in the next 12-24 months.
Of course its a niche sport. It took Zuffa 10 years to get the UFC on a mainstream TV network. Its obviously going to take time to build it up in the rest of the world
Nope, not at all
Other than Karelin's obviously worked fight, who is the highest level Russian (or Republic) wrestler or boxer to compete in MMA?
bjws - Please don't make it seem that Canada is the same country as the USA.
I think everyone is well aware that Canada is just America's hat, and not actually part of the USA.
Does this make American Football a niche sport?
Norwegian here. Extremely small sport here, a vast majority of sports fans would not be able to name one MMA-fighter.
Brits generally don't know who Bisping is, Dutch people generally don't know who Alistair is, even in Brazil MMA is catching on just now. I've been to Russia while Fedor was in his prime too. No-one had heard about him.
MMA has a much stronger position in the US than anywhere else in the world right now. It'll grow though.
Another UKTT victim - Does this make American Football a niche sport?
Outside North America it is definitely a niche sport, yes.
BLACK and BLUE Comic - Other than Karelin's obviously worked fight, who is the highest level Russian (or Republic) wrestler or boxer to compete in MMA?
Vladdy?
I'm pretty sure Nikita Koloff was one half of the world tag team championship at one point.
I was thinking this as well with all the ppvs that are held in the us and catered to the american audience to say it will be the biggest sport is laughable, how many football matches take place in different countries every weekend across the world? Also until we see places like Russia and the former soviet republics, Iran and Cuba take mma seriously and start having guys compete it will be nowhere near its potential, as i believe those countries would take over mma given there nature and sports, Russia(wrestling, sambo, judo, boxing), Iran(wrestling, weightlifting, Taekwondo, judo), Cuba(Boxing, wrestling, Judo), and these countries are very strong in all of these arts and are fighting countries.
Not convinced that the idea of MMA becoming a truly global sport is anything more than a dream in all honesty.