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Published: 10:21, October 21, 2022 | Updated: 10:46, October 21, 2022
UFC's innovative partnership puts athletes' futures first
By Sun Xiaochen
Published:10:21, October 21, 2022 Updated:10:46, October 21, 2022 By Sun Xiaochen

Britain fighter Nathaniel competes against Wood Canadian fighter Charles Jourdain in their men's featherweight fight during the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night 209 event at the Paris-Bercy arena in Paris on Sept 3, 2022. (JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

Regarded as the world’s premier platform for combat sports, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is going beyond the Octagon in China to facilitate athletes’ development. 

Jointly launched in 2019 by Beijing-based company SPORiT and the Chinese Rowing Association, Project Arena features a series of public welfare programs to support the education and occupational training of athletes, both active and retired, under the guidance of the General Administration of Sport of China

UFC, the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts organization, announced on Thursday in Beijing that it has signed a strategic cooperation with “Project Arena” — an educational program focused on athletes’ development, particularly after their competitive careers end. UFC hopes the link-up will expand its expertise in high-performance training and operational know-how. 

The partnership will see both parties actively involved in the training and education of elite athletes, planning their career paths after retirement, and the promotion of the all around development of sports talents. 

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Details of the training courses and activities remain under design, however the partnership is expected to become a game-changer for Chinese athletes, allowing them to explore more opportunities beyond competition and to channel their passion and experience to boost the mass fitness sector in China. Song Yidan, founder of Project Arena, expects the input from UFC to help broaden the outreach of the program. 

“Athletes are a group of people with great value and energy. In the process of helping them to make a smooth transition after retirement, we hope to showcase their qualities to the public and allow their knowledge and positivity to influence more people. Joining hands with UFC is an opportunity to integrate new resources and explore new paths,” she said. 

Jointly launched in 2019 by Beijing-based company SPORiT and the Chinese Rowing Association, Project Arena features a series of public welfare programs to support the education and occupational training of athletes, both active and retired, under the guidance of the General Administration of Sport of China. 

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Having served as a cradle for China’s top MMA talents, the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai is expected to host educational courses and symposiums based on its certificated curriculum in elite-level training and fitness conditioning, according to Kevin Chang, UFC’s senior vice-president of Asia.

“The UFC PI certification leverages the collective expertise of our world-class team to help the next generation of professional trainers, athletes and fitness enthusiasts push the boundaries of human potential in sports performance,” he said.

“Our female athletes from China have inspired millions of women around the world to succeed in whatever they choose to do. The mission is the same at Project Arena and we proudly support them during ‘Women’s Power’ month this year by offering scholarships to the UFC PI certification as well as internship opportunities at our headquarters in Shanghai.” 

The country’s fledgling combat sports market, which has been energized by the success of homegrown MMA stars such as UFC’s former strawweight world champion Zhang Weili, is also opening up more career opportunities for retired athletes to utilize their sporting experience in new ways. 

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The UFC PI in Shanghai will provide retired athletes from Project Arena with comprehensive online certification courses via the Migu Fitness APP, a scientific training system developed at the PI, to help them adapt to new career paths in the public fitness sector. 

Kyrgyzstan-born Valentina Shevchenko (right) competes against Brazil's Taila Santos in their women's flyweight world title fight during the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 275 event in Singapore on June 12, 2022. (NICHOLAS YEO / AFP)

A diverse curriculum around the UFC PI’s high-performance program, including sports science, nutrition, physical therapy and strength conditioning, is also expected to be offered to athletes interested in developing such careers. 

Opened in June 2019, the UFC PI Shanghai provides a wealth of amenities at its 8,600-square-meter facility, which is built on the site of an abandoned warehouse in the city’s downtown area.

UFC also has a multiyear agreement with the Chinese Olympic Committee. The deal, signed in September 2020, is designed to facilitate Chinese athletes’ preparations for major sporting events, such as the Olympics, with UFC acting as an advisor to the COC and the PI in Shanghai used as an official highperformance training base.


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