by In an effort to mine mixed martial arts talent across Latin America, the UFC announced on Tuesday that it will build a Performance Institute in Mexico City that is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2023. When completed, it will be the third in its kind, following the original in Las Vegas which opened in 2017 and the second in Shanghai, China which opened in 2019.
Existing PIs, which are free to use by UFC fighters, have been acclaimed by athletes for their ability to bring them into peak condition, to rehabilitate and prevent injuries, provide nutritional advice and free certified sports supplements.
They are also equipped with cutting-edge technology which is used to analyze the training session and to develop coaching techniques. The Mexico City PI will check in at approximately 32,000 square feet, which is roughly the same size as the original PI, which opened in 2017.
Shanghai’s PI is a whopping 93,000 square feet.
The UFC has long viewed Mexico in particular and Latin America in general as a breeding ground for fighting talent. The region is boxing mad, and UFC president Dana White has long believed it would produce elite MMA fighters as well. Brandon Moreno in 2021 as the first UFC Mexican Champion when he won the flyweight title.
Another Mexican citizen, Yair Rodriguez, will fight for the interim featherweight title on Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 284 in Perth, Australia when he meets Josh Emmett. Rodriguez believes MMA is about to explode in his homeland.
“We already have a champion, the first-born Mexican champion, Brandon Moreno,” Rodriguez told Yahoo Sports. “You see fighters in Mexico now getting that mentality that anything is possible and we can make things happen. Mexican fighters have really evolved. I’ve been with this company for almost 10 years…and the new era is coming.”
According to the UFC, better than one in five of its fighters are from Latin America. Finding a position for a private investigator in Mexico then became a priority for White.
There are more than 150 fighters currently enrolled in the UFC from Latin America, and 66 of them are from Spanish-speaking countries.
“Some of the greatest athletes in combat sports history have come from Mexico,” White said. “Our teams at PI are the best in the world at what they do, and we know that by providing the resources and training in the country, Mexico can become one of the largest sources of MMA talent in the world. This is a huge opportunity for the sport of MMA and for athletes throughout Latin America”.
