UFC to hold first event in China since pandemic

SHANGHAI – The Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold its first event in China since the pandemic, the top MMA promoter said Wednesday, the latest sport to return to the country following the abolition of Covid restrictions.

UFC Fight Night will take place at Shanghai Indoor Stadium on December 9 pending "event date approval by the local governing authority", UFC said in a statement.

It did not say which fighters will be involved but it will include bouts in the Road to UFC, in which rising talents compete to win UFC contracts.

The event will be UFC's first in China since 2019 in Shenzhen.

UFC has a state-of-the-art training and performance center in Shanghai.

"To be able to host this event back where it all started, in this incredible city... is a fitting way to write the next chapter of the growth of MMA in China," said UFC senior vice president Kevin Chang.

China imposed tight travel and quarantine restrictions in early 2020 to staunch the spread of the pandemic.

The policy led to the cancellation of most international sports events in the country until Beijing abruptly lifted curbs late last year.