"I'm going to build a PI over there" - Dana White has big plans for Africa
UFC president Dana White is one of the most successful entrepreneurs on the planet, and his business acumen is the reason behind that. He has transformed the world of MMA, and after the success of UFC, several different combat sports promotions have sprouted up all around the world.
However, Dana White is not going to rest on his laurels, and he talked to Arthur Kade of BroBible about his plans for the future of the UFC. He said he has big plans to expand throughout the globe, part of which is building a PI (Performance Institute) in Africa.
Dana White revealed that he'd provide Africa with some resources, and the world will watch a lot of great fighters coming from the continent. The UFC president said:
"I'm gonna build a PI over there. Any time you find a place where people grow up in hard times, you're gonna find talented, incredible, not just fighters but athletes of all kinds. The question is what resources do they have to train, to learn, and things like that. I'm going to build a PI over there and let me tell you what, you're going to see some bad dudes coming out of Africa over the next five, six years."
The only two UFC PIs currently in existence are in Nevada opposite the UFC Apex and Shanghai, China. The Nevada Institute opened in May 2017 and is the world's first mixed martial arts center for innovation, research, and training.
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Dana White believes that Africa is catching up and coming in
Kade asked White about the continent of Africa, which is becoming a feeding ground for the UFC, and mentioned the likes of Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou. Dana White replied:
"We always believed that this thing would be big globally, that we could create talent from all over the world. But you know what makes sense? Africa is finally catching up and coming in."
The UFC has had champions from all continents, and Kamaru Usman was the first UFC champion from Africa. However, an era of African dominance has silently ushered itself into the UFC, with Israel Adesanya and Francis Ngannou accompanying Usman in being the best in their respective weight classes.
A UFC PI in Africa could do wonders for the continent's mixed martial arts future.
Watch the full interview here: