Mixed martial arts (MMA) giant, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has officially opened its own Performance Institute in Shanghai as it continues its expansion in China.
The new facility is now the world’s largest MMA training and development centre. Costing a reported US$13 million, the 93,000 square-foot development will serve as a training base to nurture the next generation of MMA athletes from mainland China and the greater Asia-Pacific region. The UFC will also use the building as its regional headquarters in Asia.
The UFC is making the region is a target for major, with the next major milestone seeing the series make its debut in the city of Shenzhen on 31st August. Held at Universiade Sports Centre, the event will feature the first-ever UFC championship fight held in China, as well as the first Chinese athlete, Weili Zhang, competing for a UFC title. The event marks the series’ third live appearance in China in three years.
Endeavor China – a subsidiary of the UFC’s owners, US agency giant Endeavor – will help deliver the August fight night. China’s Damai Sports will also co-promote the event, which is also being backed by the China Boxing Federation and Shenzhen Longgang Administration of Culture, Television and Radio, Sports and Tourism.
The opening of the performance institute and the upcoming fight night are the latest efforts from the UFC to grow in the potentially lucrative Chinese market. In May, it partnered with Weibo, the country’s leading social media network, to raise its profile. With more than 400 million active monthly users, Weibo became the official social media platform of the UFC in China as part of the deal.
The launch comes ahead of the MMA series’ Shenzhen event in August.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) giant, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has officially opened its own Performance Institute in Shanghai as it continues its expansion in China.
The new facility is now the world’s largest MMA training and development centre. Costing a reported US$13 million, the 93,000 square-foot development will serve as a training base to nurture the next generation of MMA athletes from mainland China and the greater Asia-Pacific region. The UFC will also use the building as its regional headquarters in Asia.
The UFC is making the region is a target for major, with the next major milestone seeing the series make its debut in the city of Shenzhen on 31st August. Held at Universiade Sports Centre, the event will feature the first-ever UFC championship fight held in China, as well as the first Chinese athlete, Weili Zhang, competing for a UFC title. The event marks the series’ third live appearance in China in three years.
Endeavor China – a subsidiary of the UFC’s owners, US agency giant Endeavor – will help deliver the August fight night. China’s Damai Sports will also co-promote the event, which is also being backed by the China Boxing Federation and Shenzhen Longgang Administration of Culture, Television and Radio, Sports and Tourism.
The opening of the performance institute and the upcoming fight night are the latest efforts from the UFC to grow in the potentially lucrative Chinese market. In May, it partnered with Weibo, the country’s leading social media network, to raise its profile. With more than 400 million active monthly users, Weibo became the official social media platform of the UFC in China as part of the deal.
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