UFC to hold first event in mainland China since pandemic

Shanghai: Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold its first event in mainland China since the Covid 19 pandemic, it said Thursday, announcing a Fight...

Shanghai: Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold its first event in mainland China since the Covid-19 pandemic, it said Thursday, announcing a Fight Night in Shanghai this summer.

The top MMA promotion has poured resources into developing the China market and has a multimillion-dollar performance institute in Shanghai.

But its ambitions were hampered by the tight travel and quarantine restrictions of China's zero-Covid era, which led to the cancellation of most international sports events in the country until the policies were lifted at the end of 2022.

A planned Shanghai Fight Night in December the following year was relocated less than a month beforehand to Las Vegas because of "logistical issues".

Kevin Chang, UFC's head in Asia, said this year's event will take place on August 23.