In addition to announcing its anti-doping program on Wednesday, the UFC will also establish what it is calling a “UFC Lab” for its contracted fighters. The idea of the new facility will be to have a place for fighters to work out and rehab injuries.
The “UFC Lab” will be part of a new campus the organization is building in Las Vegas. According to the announcement it will be a “state-of-the-art facility” which will use “cutting-edge training techniques.” The company visited other professional sports teams and its training facilities as an archetype for the one it is currently building.
According to UFC Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein, the aim is to treat existing injuries but also provide education and training to reduce the risk of future injury. Certainly, the injury prevention is key for the UFC (as well as for fighters) as the goal would seemingly be to cut down on training injuries which would cause events needing to be retooled.
H/t: MMA Fighting
Payout Perspective:
The “UFC Lab” is a good idea for Zuffa as it’s a way to ensure that its fighters are training and rehabilitating in a way that is the most effective and efficient for maximum performance. We have seen fighters train at the UFC Gym when they come to Vegas and this seems like a good extension of assisting fighters getting ready for a fight. What is more important would seem to be the educational component for fighters so that they may take what they learn back to their fight teams and gyms.
All of these things (UFC Lab, New Anti-Doping policies) sound amazing in theory, but unfortunately for the fighters it is another way for the UFC to try to exert complete control of its independent contractors–how does the appeal process work? What about Medical Privacy? If a fighter claims injury, is he forced to use the UFC’s own doctors/UFC Lab which can give the UFC information they can use as leverage in negotiations. Information is key when it comes to negotiating value & the UFC has all the cards. Along with forced fighter uniforms, are these guys employees now, but without all the rights? this is not even a gray area anymore, it’s absolutely ridiculous.
Yup…its all about control for the ufc…hahahaha.pathetic
Also a spin to divert the attention of the cheapie reebok deal hahahaha