UFC: Dana White’s Contender Series gets Asian edition out of Shanghai performance institute

Show will feature male and female fighters across the organisation’s 11 weight classes, and is set to launch in 2020 with UFC contracts up for grabs

UFC president White says ‘there’s no area in the world right now with more potential MMA talent than Asia’

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Loma Lookboonmee at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai. Photos: UFC

Published: 9:13am, 31 Oct 2019Updated: 9:19am, 31 Oct 2019

The UFC has announced plans for the first Asian edition of the Dana White’s Contender Series as the company continues to spread its reach into the region.

“One of my favourite parts of my job is looking for up-and-coming talent,” the UFC boss said in a statement released on Thursday.

“There’s no area in the world right now with more potential MMA talent than Asia. We’re going to use Dana White’s Contender Series to find these fighters, develop them, and give them the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage in combat sports.”

Set for a launch in 2020, the series will showcase “up-and-coming talent, as well as athletes striving to revive their professional careers,” according to the UFC.

Dana White’s Contender Series Asia will be based at the UFC’s Performance Institute in Shanghai. The 93,000 square foot facility – built for an estimated cost of around US$13 million – was opened in June.