UFC grooms next set of stars through athlete summit program

By Case Keefer (contact)

Tuesday, April 5, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Developing future great fighters requires far more than aggressive marketing and timely bout bookings.

The UFC has committed to that idea with its athlete summit, the promotion’s equivalent to the NFL rookie symposium or the NBA rookie transition program. The latest iteration of the initiative is taking place this week at Green Valley Ranch Resort, where 40 fighters deemed “next generation athletes” are attending sessions with topics ranging from media training to advanced health and performance methods.

“Several years ago, we did these with large-scale portions of our roster,” UFC Vice President Dave Sholler explained. “We had 300-plus athletes that came to Red Rock, and what we found much like college and high school, was that the bigger the classroom got, the less intimate the experience got.”

The largest mixed martial arts organization restructured the experience into a triannual event. Sholler mentioned former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm, current "Dancing with the Stars" contestant Paige VanZant and interim light heavyweight title challenger Ovince St. Preux as examples of fighters that have gone through the program in the last year.

Forthcoming CM Punk opponent Mickey Gall and recent top contenders Kyoji Horiguchi and Valerie Letourneau were among those flown in for three days worth of education this week.

“I love the confidence that they have in me that I get invited to something like this,” said Gian Villante, light heavyweight contender and longtime training partner of former middleweight champion Chris Weidman. “What I learned from today was the best I could get out of it. Just seeing some of these things, hearing some of these things is something that’s very beneficial to me.”

Monday’s opening included an address from UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and a seminar on supplements and performance-enhancing drugs from UFC Vice President Jeff Novitzky and USADA Olympic Education Specialist LaDonna Reed. A presentation from sports psychologist Trevor Moawad, who works with the University of Alabama football team and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson among others, followed.

Moawad’s presence came directly out of feedback from fighters who previously attended the summit and asked for more on the sport’s mental aspect. Villante said listening to Moawad was what would stick with him the most.

Moawad took fighters through mental exercises, preached the power of the mind and shared videos that put his words into action.

“You think of it in terms of the lottery,” Moawad said of the athlete summit. “I could win the lottery with 10 tickets; I’ve got a much better chance with 100 tickets. I think essentially what UFC is doing is giving the guys more tickets, giving them a better chance to succeed for a longer period of time.”

Moawad had never spoken to mixed martial artists, but he’s long used the sport as an example to other athletes. Sporting a sparkly new College Football Playoff national championship ring, he reflected on motivational methods used with Alabama before its victory over Clemson to win the title in January.

In the days before the championship, Moawad showed the Crimson Tide videos of UFC star Conor McGregor and discussed the featherweight champion’s rise.

“I’m a huge fan and it’s something exciting — just the mindset, the approach and the suddenness of fighting,” Moawad said. “If you’re not ready, you’re going to get exposed quickly.”

The objective of the summit is to get everyone ready. Villante, for one, was eager to return to his native New York to implement some of the things he learned.

He believes he’s coming away with new tools to build his career in the desired direction.

“I’ve got to think of what’s next for me, and I think in this division, I can make a dent,” Villante said. “Hopefully that’s something I’ll be doing soon....They see something in me and I see the potential in me. If I could just get some things right, I’ll be there soon enough.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.