The UFC today announced plans to launch the first-ever Asia edition of Dana White’s Contender Series Asia the groundbreaking mixed martial arts fight series that showcases up-and-coming talent, as well as athletes striving to revive their professional careers.

The inaugural season of Dana White’s Contender Series Asia will launch in 2020 and be hosted from the new, state-of-the-art UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai. At 93,000 square feet, the building is the world’s largest MMA training and development facility and nearly three times as large as the original UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. The structure was built with advanced production capabilities with spectator seating that allows UFC to produce and distribute events, such as Dana White’s Contender Series, and other original programming.

“One of my favourite parts of my job is looking for up-and-coming talent,” said UFC President Dana White. “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.”

Like its U.S. counterpart, Dana White’s Contender Series Asia will feature both male and female athletes. All eleven UFC weight classes will be considered for the show and bout results will count towards athletes’ professional records.

In the United States, the series has launched UFC careers for notable athletes, including bantamweight Sean O’Malley (10-0); heavyweight Greg Hardy (5-1); and flyweight Maycee Barber (8-0).

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