UFC, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada team up for wrestling program

LAS VEGAS — The UFC, along with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada and Ultimate Alliance on Tuesday announced a new partnership that hopes to build a new generation of wrestlers.

A new program will provide youth in the area the opportunity to train in wrestling to “develop techniques, fundamentals and the mindset to perform successfully in the sport of wrestling as well as teaching discipline, focus, and accountability for daily life.”

UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, one of the best wrestlers in UFC history, and current light heavyweight standout Daniel Cormier, an Olympic wrestler, were on hand to talk with area kids about the sport.

“The UFC is thrilled to partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada and the Ultimate Alliance to help provide young athletes in the region the necessary resources to succeed in the sport of wrestling and to maximize their fullest potential,” UFC Vice President of Community Relations Reed Harris stated. “Participants of this program will be given exclusive instruction from the best wrestling and mixed martial arts athletes in the world as well as equipment and funding for practice and competition.”

Hughes and Cormier will serve as the UFC’s representatives for the program. One of the hopes of the program is that it will jumpstart a bigger campaign on a national level that will educate youth about the positive influence participation in the sport of wrestling can have on their lives.

“Teaming up with the UFC and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada to coach, develop and mentor the youth of Nevada and the United States has been a vision of mine for years,” stated Bryan Lindsey, Volunteer Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Ultimate Alliance. “We are all very excited to work closely together to grow the sport of wrestling to a level we have yet to see in the history of the sport.”

The UFC’s involvement will include fighter-led wrestling clinics, as well as financial assistance for the program and training equipment.