Latest news with #PerformanceInstitute
Free Malaysia Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
UFC to hold first event in mainland China since pandemic
UFC held a Fight Night in semi-autonomous Macau in November. (EPA Images pic) SHANGHAI : Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold its first event in mainland China since the Covid-19 pandemic, it said today, announcing a Fight Night in Shanghai this summer. The top MMA promotion has poured resources into developing the China market and has a multimillion-dollar performance institute in Shanghai. But its ambitions were hampered by the tight travel and quarantine restrictions of China's zero-Covid era, which led to the cancellation of most international sports events in the country until the policies were lifted at the end of 2022. A planned Shanghai Fight Night in December the following year was relocated less than a month beforehand to Las Vegas because of 'logistical issues'. Kevin Chang, UFC's head in Asia, said this year's event will take place on Aug 23. 'This promises to be an action-packed weekend that will showcase both the city and our sport, and China power, to the world,' he told a press conference. UFC held a Fight Night in semi-autonomous Macau in November, but its last event in mainland China was in 2019 in Shenzhen. However, it has maintained a presence in the country through its performance institute, which was opened in 2019 to develop Asian mixed martial artists. The centre has a partnership with the Chinese Olympic committee.
IOL News
18-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
BMC 4: Explosive action, knockouts and new champions light up Milnerton MMA showdown
Alex Suzuki, left in action against Steve Kassakula. Suzuki secured the Barebones MC Middleweight title via guillotine choke in round one. Photo: Buntu Gotywa Image: Buntu Gotywa Passion, power, skill, heart, bright lights, and frenzied fight fans encapsulated the atmosphere of Barebones MMA Championships 4: Apocalypse, held at the Sunningdale Sports Complex in Milnerton this past weekend. The venue was packed to capacity with spectators supporting their favourite fighters, as BMC 4 delivered a behemoth fight card featuring 19 bouts in total — including three title fights and one title eliminator. The card was divided into three sections: the Early Prelims, Prelims, and the Main Card. The Early Prelims featured the Youth division, while the remaining bouts showcased senior competitors. Fourteen gyms were represented, highlighting the diversity and growth of the Cape Town MMA scene. The Early Prelim Card showcased the impressive skillsets of the Youth fighters, offering optimism for the future of MMA. A standout bout in this section was the Youth A Welterweight Title clash between Frank Ngoka of Troublemaker MMA and Fanie Beets of Performance Institute. Ngoka demonstrated impeccable prowess from start to finish, striking a balance between technicality and power. The fight began with both fighters exchanging low kicks, but quickly transitioned to the canvas. Round two opened with a well-executed double-leg takedown by Ngoka, who maintained composure and excellent top control, delivering powerful ground-and-pound strikes from full mount. He successfully defended his title in style. The Prelims and Main Card delivered in equal measure, showcasing the composure, accuracy, and technical brilliance of the senior fighters. The Fight of the Night was undoubtedly the Featherweight clash between Toufeeq Van Schalkwyk of Fighterz Inc. and Perfect Madziviride of Hopefield MMA. Less than a minute into the first round, Van Schalkwyk delivered a perfectly timed head-kick knockout — the fastest finish of the evening. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The much-anticipated Featherweight Title Eliminator between Andrew Hunter of Titans MMA and Zaakir Parker of Troublemaker MMA had fans on the edge of their seats. Although Parker showed great heart during grappling exchanges, Hunter dominated from full mount with relentless ground and pound to secure victory. The win puts Hunter in prime position for a title shot in the next BMC instalment. The co-main event was nothing short of spectacular. A composed Alex Suzuki effectively neutralised the aggressive offence of Steve Kassakula. During brief striking exchanges, Suzuki landed clean shots while staying out of range. He then secured underhooks, dragged Kassakula to the canvas, and executed a slick guillotine choke against the cage to become the new Middleweight Champion. The main event ended BMC 4 on a high note with a Heavyweight Title clash between Emmanuel Aku Okafar of Performance Institute and Bertie Niemand of Trident MMA. Both fighters came out swinging in round one, with strikes including knees, kicks, and punches. Okafar rocked Niemand with a hard right hook, but Niemand recovered and landed a double-leg takedown followed by a barrage of ground-and-pound punches. In round two, Niemand repeated the takedown, achieved full mount, and continued the onslaught, eventually being crowned the new Heavyweight Champion. The Barebones MMA promotion continues to grow from strength to strength, delivering high-calibre fights, professional organisation, and an ever-expanding audience. BMC 5 is scheduled for September and is set to build on this thrilling momentum. Results Early Prelims – Youth Card Ismaeel Booley def. Connor Oosthuizen via armbar (Round 1) Slater Van Der Heever def. Noah De Wet via unanimous decision Frank Ngoka def. Fanie Beets via TKO (Round 2) – Welterweight Title (77.2 kg) Dante Jones def. Johnathan Erasmus via anaconda choke (Round 2) – Featherweight Title (under 65.3 kg) Mohammed Cassim def. Jacob Gumedi via split decision Prelims Nilesh Jessa def. Tristan Wallace via TKO (Round 1) Dean Van Wyk def. Yurish Jessa via TKO (Round 3) Aswad Reid def. Sam Aitken via split decision Kiran Jeffrey def. Altaaf Armien via split decision Brynton Van Gein def. Tony Kabongo via triangle choke (Round 1) Josh Bester def. Luqmaan Hartley via unanimous decision Main Card Aayesha Majiet def. Jennifer Ann June Bromwich via TKO (Round 1) Toufeeq Van Schalkwyk def. Perfect Madziviride via KO (Round 1) Glody Miezi def. Damian Erasmus via TKO (Round 1) William Viljoen def. Moesha Mbala via unanimous decision Junaid Brown def. Yusuf Salie via split decision Andrew Hunter def. Zaakir Parker via TKO (Round 3) – Featherweight Title Eliminator (61.3–65.8 kg) Alex Suzuki def. Steve Kassakula via guillotine submission (Round 1) – Middleweight Title (77.2–83.9 kg) Bertie Niemand def. Emmanuel Aku Okafar via TKO (Round 2) – Heavyweight Title (93.1–120.2 kg)
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Members of the Performance Institute set new records at state championship
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) -Competitors for the Performance Institute set new records at the 2025 Georgia State Championships on April 5th in Atlanta. The state championship was held in conjunction with the 2025 USAW Masters Nationals Championships. PI Champions accumulated: 5 Georgia State Championship titles 3 Georgia State Records 3 lifters went 6 for 6 15 Gold Medals/ 2 Silver & 1 Bronze 2 Master lifters who originally began with PI 20 years ago competed in their first Masters Nationals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
31-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC exec Dave Shaw reacts to record-breaking UFC on ESPN 64: 'We've planted our flag'
MEXICO CITY – UFC on ESPN 64 was a record-breaking event for the promotion. The event headlined by Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg at Arena CDMX broke records for the UFC in Mexico as the promotion's highest-grossing event in the country and the highest-grossing event in the arena's history. It was a successful night by many measures, and the promotion hopes to go even bigger when it returns to Mexico on September 13 for the third Noche UFC event, UFC 320 in Guadalajara. The UFC has not made two trips to Mexico in a calendar year in a decade, which is something that excites the UFC executives, including Dave Shaw. 'It's important for our strategy in Mexico and Latin America for us to come more than once,' Shaw told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. 'It's also the one-year anniversary of our Performance Institute opening, which is an accolade and an accomplishment that our entire team has been really proud of. 'We've planted our flag. We're here. If anyone was at the opening 12 months ago, and then has returned at any point in the last 12 months, there's been a lot of progress at the PI. … We're thrilled. Two events in Mexico this year, next installment of Noche, as we've talked about, and further success of the UFC Performance Institute here.' For the first time since committing to the Noche UFC branding to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, the promotion will bring the event to Mexico. The first two events took place in Las Vegas, at T-Mobile Arena and Sphere. Arena Guadalajara is a brand new venue in the city that holds up to 20,000 people. Shaw says the promotion is excited to hold an event there early to highlight the fighters from the region. 'Think about it – we've got our 42 events, and our events our pay-per-views and Fight Nights, and we've got all these other brands that sit on top of our events that help exemplify the true state of athleticsm that our athletes bring,' Shaw said. 'Contender Series, Ultimate Fighter, Road to UFC, what we did with Fight Island, and now you've got this franchise brand called Noche. 'Bringing Noche to Mexico for the first time is something that was really important to Dana (White), important to (Craig) Borsari and a number of the other members of our team. So I think to come back and celebrate Mexican culture again on the weekend of Independence Day is really important for us.' For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
