02/08/2026
The UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai held their seventh athlete combine this week to determine which fighters would get an invite to train at the facility over the next year.
Dozens of fighters went through the grinder of physical tests throughout the week, having their raw strength, cardiovascular capacity, and technical ability tested by the PI staff.
After days of evaluations, the staff convened to select 30 fighters into the seventh Academy.
There’s a lot of familiar faces- Road to UFC veterans Xie Bin, Agulali, D**g Huaxiang, Jiniushiyue, Ren Yawei, Sulangrangbo, Ti Haitao, and Zhang Qinghe were in the lineup.
There’s also a batch of fighters that may be unknown to casual fans but have a lot of potential like Gexipengchu, Emunanjia, Regezhen, Zeqiuduoji, Wan Fayang, and Hailai Wushamo.
One surprising returning fighter was UFC veteran Mahashate Hayishaer, who went 2-4 in the promotion, but is still just 26 years old.
Swipe to see the full list of Academy athletes.
