"I want to take kids off the street" - Dana White shares plans for UFC Performance Institute in Mexico
Dana White has opened up about his plans to open the UFC Performance Institute in Mexico.
As of now, there are two Performance Institutes in the world. One is in Las Vegas, and the other one is in Shanghai, China. The Las Vegas PI was opened in 2017 to cater to fighters, and over the years, it has served over 700 fighters from the roster and athletes from different sporting leagues.
The PI in Shanghai, China, was opened in 2019 and happens to be the world's largest MMA training and development facility. Now, the UFC is nearing the opening of its third PI, which will be in Mexico.
Speaking about it during a recent interview with ESPN MMA, White revealed his plans with the facility. He stated that he wants the facility to be used by underprivileged kids:
"What I want in Mexico is I want to take kids off the streets. I want the kids that are in the streets and have nothing and have nothing to look forward to, to come to the PI and learn how to train, how to do jiu-jitsu, how to do muay thai, and learn lots of other skills there. Not all these kids are going to grow up and become fighters but they will become coaches or they will touch the sport in some way, shape, or form."
Catch Dana White's comments in the video below (12:21):
Dana White is eyeing Spain for Ilia Topuria's first title defense
As UFC continues to grow its popularity all over the world, Dana White is looking to host an event in Spain. Following Ilia Topuria's victory over Alexander Volkanovski last weekend, the newly crowned UFC featherweight champion spoke about his ambitions of fighting in his country.
Speaking about it during the post-fight press conference, White gave an update on his plans with the new UFC featherweight champion. While stating that Topuria's first title defense will "definitely" be in Spain, he said:
"We're definitely going to Spain. Who [Topuria] is going to be facing, I don't know yet. But I have a lot of respect for Volkanovski, we'll see how that plays out. But as long as there's a venue, we're going to Spain."
Watch White discuss Ilia Topuria's potential next fight location below (7:35):