UFC to expand into Mexico with new training facility

By MARK ANDERSON
AP Sports Writer

The UFC will open a multimillion-dollar, 32,000-square-foot MMA training facility in Mexico City late this year, the organization announced Tuesday morning.

“Some of the greatest athletes in combat sports history have come from Mexico,” UFC President Dana White said in a statement. “Our teams at the (Las Vegas Performance Institute) are the best in the world at what they do, and we know that by making the resources and training available in the country, Mexico can become one of the greatest sources of MMA talent in the world. This is a massive opportunity for the sport of MMA and for athletes throughout Latin America.”

This will be the third such institute. The first opened in Las Vegas in 2017 and is about the same size as the one that will be constructed in Mexico. College and professional athletes have used that facility for their workouts as well as those in the UFC.

A 93,000-square-foot facility opened in Shanghai in 2019 and serves as a training magnet for those in China and throughout Asia.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports