After opening locations in Las Vegas and China, the UFC is set to open its third Performance Institute.
The promotion announced Tuesday that they would be opening their latest PI, a training and development facility, in Mexico City in the fourth quarter of 2023.
“Some of the greatest athletes in combat sports history have come from Mexico,” UFC President Dana White was quoted as saying in a press release announcing the news. “Our teams at the PI 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.”
Per that same press release, over 150 athletes from Latin America can be found on the UFC roster, comprising more the 20% in total. Recently, UFC flyweight Brandon Moreno, a native of Mexico, reclaimed the promotion’s 125lb title.
The promotion intends to staff the facility with a full range of mixed martial arts coaches, who will develop and implement “a sport-specific training system developed in consultation with UFC Performance Institute coaches and trainers from around the world.”
The first UFC Performance Institute opened in 2017 in Las Vegas. That was followed by Shanghai in 2019. The facility has served not just fighters, but athletes from other sports in training regimens during their off-season.
