The UFC’s focus on China as an expansion market continues, and Shenzhen is the newest city selected to host a live event.
UFC officials today announced that UFC on ESPN+ 15 will take place at the city’s Universiade Sports Centre on Aug. 31.
No bouts have been announced for the card just yet.
“We continue to add new cities in China to our global calendar of events, and we are excited to see the momentum that is steadily building,” UFC senior vice president of Asia-Pacific Kevin Chang stated. “China is the most important growth market for UFC, and our ongoing success is a testament to the loyalty of our passionate fans, the on-going support from our partners, and the work we are doing to fast-track the development of UFC-ready athletes in this region.”
The event marks the third consecutive year the UFC will host event in mainland China following a 2017 visit to Shanghai and a 2018 card in Beijing.
Additional details for the card will be revealed at a later date.
The promotion also confirmed that the UFC Performance Institute Shanghai is still on schedule for a June opening. As MMA Junkie previously reported, the new facility is approximately three times larger than the original UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas and comes with a price tag of some $13 million, as well as an annual multi-million dollar operating budget.
Like the Performance Institute in Las Vegas, the services offered in the new Shanghai location – including strength and conditioning coaching, nutrition advice and physical therapy – are available at no cost to all UFC athletes. However, there is one major difference from the Las Vegas location: the UFC Performance Institute Shanghai will focus on developing MMA athletes that are not currently on the UFC roster.
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