Dana White says UFC is opening PIs in Mexico and Puerto Rico, other new territories to follow

UFC president Dana White has always sought to make MMA a global sport, and the opening of new Performance Institutes all across the world will certainly help achieve that goal.

In an interview with hosts CM Punk and Dave Ross on Stadium, Dana White said he’s headed to China next week to open up a new PI there, but said that’s just the beginning.

“I’m going to China next week to do the ribbon cutting for the new Performance Institute there,” White said. “We just found some dirt in Mexico City where we’re going to build another one. We’re looking at two more in Mexico and we’re going to build one in Puerto Rico.”

The UFC’s willingness to conquer new parts of the globe and find talent isn’t necessarily new, but the fact the company is going to new locales is certainly intriguing. The amount of unearthed talent that could be available out there is very exciting.

“We’ve been cultivating talent for the last 10 to 12 years,” White said. “I send my matchmakers to China looking for talent. When they find talent they send them back to the US and we put them in big camps to train.”

We know now that China is up next and that Mexico and Puerto Rico are soon to follow, but the UFC’s global reach doesn’t stop there. According to Dana White, the UFC is eyeing some other countries for building new PIs, as well.

“We’ll see what’s next,” White said. “India, the UK, I don’t know.”

The UFC’s success in its PI in China and then in Mexico could help determine where the promotion next intends to grow the sport, but it’s exciting either way that the company wants to continue investing in new talent all over the world.

Where do you think Dana White the UFC should build a PI in the future?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/7/2019.