Dana White, president of the UFC, acknowledged that it took a long time to bring a great fight card back to Mexico and that now there is a great Mexican representation in mixed martial arts.
“We had Mexican champions and I told myself; ‘What the hell are we doing? Why am I not doing an event on Cinco de Mayo? or on Independence Day,” White said about his ideas about bringing the event to Mexican soil.
The UFC returns to Mexico since 2019 when fighters like Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodríguez stood out. Both will be part of this Saturday’s main card with two five-round fights that will bring them closer to being contenders for the title in their categories.
Moreno, who comes from Tijuana, was champion at 125 pounds, while he was interim at 145 pounds at a time when there are 20 fighters born in Mexico for the first time in the history of the UFC.
“We are in a very different situation, we have more Mexican stars than ever. We are going one hundred percent with Mexico, With the Performance Institute, with that opening we have to do many fights in Mexico, and many of them will be numbered events,” considers White, who will be present this Saturday in Mexico City.
Dana White commented that he hopes that these types of events magnify Mexico City and the number of events and fighters there are in the country. “The MMA scene in Mexico will radically transform in the next 5 or 6 years,” said the president of the UFC.
Dana White wants to help young people in street situations with MMA
One of the motivations that Dana White pursues is to contribute and be able to be compared to Brazil, another of the great growing countries in the UFC.
“I want every kid from Mexico City and other parts to be able to travel. The level of talent that we will have in Mexico may be the same as Brazil, Look at the number of champions they have had since we bought the UFC, I think the only country that can rival it is Mexico,” White said.
“I want kids who are on the streets and who have no options, who can train, who can learn to do jiu jitsu, Muay Thai and many other disciplines. Maybe not all of them will become fighters, but I want them to be touched by the sport, maybe they will end up being coaches or be linked in some way.”
Keep reading:
– UFC Mexico: Brandon Moreno admits to being “a little frustrated” by the winless record in his country
– How to watch UFC Mexico live: schedules and complete card of Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 2
– UFC Mexico: Meet the nine Aztec fighters who accompany Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodríguez