MMA is truly a global sport and we’re watching first hand as new regions become serious hotbeds for nurturing talent.
All it takes is for one fighter from a certain part of the world to have some success and the right infrastructure to be put in place, and it can lead to a revolution.
That’s happening right now in Mexico following the investment that the UFC has made with things like the Performance Institute in Mexico City.
After Brandon Moreno became the first Mexican-born UFC champion back in 2021, which was quickly followed by Alexa Grasso and Yair Rodríguez (interim title), it was clear this would inspire more young people in Mexico to train in mixed martial arts.
Though there’s certainly a larger Mexican presence in the sport right now than ever before, that’s only going to continue growing in the future.
Israel Adesanya Says Mexico Can Become A Leading Country In Mixed Martial Arts
Mexico already has such an incredible legacy in combat sports due to the country having boxing as its national sport, and Israel Adesanya is excited to watch that continue to grow in MMA.
In his preview for the second annual Noche UFC event this weekend with UFC 306 taking place inside the Sphere, the former two-time middleweight champion spoke about how Mexico could become a major player in the sport in years to come.
“That from boxing, a lot of kids who would have maybe gone into boxing would start doing MMA and not just doing kickboxing or Jiu-Jitsu, like MMA as a whole and then it’s going to be, in a few generations you’ll see like a wave of Mexican fighters who have that Mexican spirit. You’ll see them like just dominating the UFC. Could be, who knows how many generations but kind of is already happening slowly.”
With Mexican talent from top to bottom, Adesanya rounded out his thoughts by saying that this weekend’s card should be a fantastic display of that fighting spirit that Mexican fighters are so well known for.
“I look forward to it. I like seeing Mexicans, like I think even with this card, it’s going to bring that spirit. I think you’re going to see some crazy fights, some really crazy fights just cuz the essence of Mexican fighting.”
Read also: Israel Adesanya Hails Latest UFC Fighter From CKB As ‘Evolved’ Version Of Him
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