UFC is set to return to mainland China for the first time since 2017. A Fight Night event is scheduled for August 23rd at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium. While specific bouts haven`t been revealed yet, UFC champion Zhang Weili, along with Song Yadong and Zhang Mingyang, attended a media event on Thursday to announce the news.
The semifinals of the Road to UFC tournament are also planned for the same city on the preceding day, August 22nd.
UFC`s prior event in Shanghai was on November 25, 2017. That night saw Kelvin Gastelum defeat Michael Bisping by knockout in the main event, marking the former champion`s retirement before a crowd of over 15,000 spectators.
Kelvin Gastelum was originally scheduled to face Anderson Silva in the headliner. However, Silva was removed from the card after testing positive for methyltestosterone metabolites and hydrochlorothiazide. USADA later attributed the positive test to contaminated supplements.
The promotion was absent from mainland China for several years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their recent return to the region was a Fight Night in Macau in November 2024, headlined by former champions Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo. Chinese fighters Yan Xiaonan and Zhang Mingyang also secured wins on that main card.
