The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has announced its comeback to
mainland China for the first time since the global pandemic, with two
events scheduled in Shanghai.

UFC Fight Night Shanghai, the fourth UFC event in mainland China and the
ninth in greater China, is slated for August 23.

The Shanghai Indoor Stadium will host the event, organized by the Shanghai
Sports Bureau, Xuhui District Government, Alibaba subsidiary Orange Lion
Sports, and China Mobile subsidiary Migu.

The semifinals for Road to UFC Season 4 will precede the Fight Night event
on August 22. Opening round winners will compete for a spot in the
finals, were they can earn a multi-fight UFC contract.

China is a key market for the UFC,though previous efforts to return were
hampered by the COVID-19 outbreak.

UFC Fight Night macau on November 23 last year at the Galaxy Arena marked
the UFC’s first visit to Greater China as before the pandemic. The
last visit to the region was in Shenzhen in august 2019.

The Shanghai Indoor Stadium was originally scheduled to host an event on
December 9, 2023, but the UFC relocated it to its Apex facility in Las
Vegas due to logistical issues.

Executive Perspectives on the Shanghai Event

Kevin chang, UFC senior vice-president and head of Asia, stated that
“Shanghai holds special meaning for UFC, as it hosted our first event
in mainland China in 2017, and it’s the home of our UFC Performance
Institute and headquarters in Asia.”

“Our Chinese athletes are making a statement in UFC that they are a force
to be reckoned with.”

Chang added,”Our Chinese athletes are making a statement in UFC that
they are a force to be reckoned with,and we are excited to showcase
their talent in the city where it all began.”

Orange Lion Sports will serve as the official UFC event promoter in
Shanghai.

Mu Yang, Orange Lion Sports chairman and CEO, noted, “This year marks the
10th anniversary of Orange lion Sports. Over the past decade, we’ve had
our roots in Shanghai while facing the world.”

Yang added, “We have always maintained close dialog and exchanges
with top international events and organisations such as UFC, and we have
deepened our presence in the sports industry with an attitude that
combines a global perspective with people’s livelihood.”

“The city of shanghai, as the headquarters of Orange Lion Sports, has
given us grate help and support. This collaboration with UFC is the
starting point of a new decade. In the future, we will also bring more
influential events to our doorstep through more international
cooperation,” Yang concluded.