UFC to Hold Debut Event in Shenzhen, China, on Aug. 31

Shenzhen bound #UFCShenzhen pic.twitter.com/cG56oaIt60

— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) May 20, 2019

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will break new ground in mainland China this summer.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Sunday that it will hold an event in Shenzhen, China, on Aug. 31. It will mark the UFC’s third consecutive card in mainland China, a streak that began with a sold-out event in Shanghai in 2017.

“We continue to add new cities in China to our global calendar of events, and we are excited to see the momentum that is steadily building,” said UFC Senior Vice President Asia-Pacific, Kevin Chang. “China is the most important growth market for UFC, and our ongoing success is a testament to the loyalty of our passionate fans, the on-going support from our partners, and the work we are doing to fast-track the development of UFC ready athletes in this region.”

The card will take place at Universiade Sports Centre and will likely air on ESPN+. No bouts were announced for the event, which will come on the heels of the promotion opening the UFC Performance Institute Shanghai in June.

The UFC’s first event in mainland Chinca took place at Mercedez-Benz Arena in Shanghai on Nov. 25, 2017 and saw Kelvin Gastelum knock out Michael Bisping in the evening’s headliner. The promotion returned to China for UFC Fight Night 141 in Beijing, where Francis Ngannou scored a first-round stoppage of Curtis Blaydes in a heavyweight feature.