UFC recently made the announcement about the fifth UFC Academy Combine which is the invite-only talent evaluation platform, from March 21-22. It will take place at the UFC Performance Institute (PI) in Shanghai, China.
Indian athletes invited
It has been noted that the event invites top MMA prospects to showcase their technical skills and physical ability to be considered for a full scholarship to the UFC Academy.
Approximately as many as 25 to 30 athletes have been selected from each UFC Academy Combine, with eight having signed contracts to join UFC: Rong Zhu, Aoriqileng, Sha Yilan, Alatengheili, Liang Na, Maheshate, Zhang Mingyang, and Yizha.
The fifth UFC Academy Combine has invited approximately 40 athletes and it is set to be the first Combine where athletes from India, Indonesia, and Singapore will participate. It is the first time Indian athletes will be participating in the event.
The following are the participants from India:
1. Clinton Kenin D’Cruz, flyweight
2. Roshan Mainam, flyweight
3. Sumit Kumar, flyweight
4. Punyajit Likharu, bantamweight
It has been noted that the athletes are tested on 72 individual metrics across 12 categories covering technical skill (wrestling, grappling, and striking) with physical ability (explosive lower and upper body power, maximum strength, anaerobic power, anaerobic capacity, reaction time, and aerobic recoverability).
Meanwhile, a proprietary scoring system will be implemented so that clear comparisons can be made between individual fighters, ultimately leading to an overall UFC Academy Combine ranking for each athlete. Athletes who have been chosen to receive scholarships to UFC Academy will be announced after the event.
Highlights during the Combine will be posted on the @UFCIndia Instagram account.
UFC Performance Institute
The first multidisciplinary research, innovation, and performance center for mixed martial arts is the UFC Performance Institute. The first venue, which debuted in 2017 in Las Vegas, is a cutting-edge 30,000 square foot facility that offers services and perks to all athletes that compete under its auspices.
World-class performance optimization for athletes is the main goal of the Performance Institute, which is staffed full-time by professionals with backgrounds in physical therapy, nutrition, and strength and conditioning.
Over 600 athletes from the promotion’s roster have made use of the space and the online offerings thus far. A number of athletes from the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and Olympics have also visited the facility to receive assistance during their off-season training.