During a recent visit to Abu Dhabi, UFC President Dana White engaged with students at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) to discuss the transformative potential of AI in combat sports. The session, part of White’s broader trip to the UAE capital, delved into AI applications such as scoring systems, fighter rankings, injury prediction, and enhancing fan engagement. What began as a campus tour evolved into a promising dialogue when a student proposed establishing the world’s first AI research lab dedicated to martial arts. White expressed enthusiasm for the idea, highlighting the potential synergy between the university’s AI expertise and the UFC’s athlete data and performance tracking systems. He emphasized Abu Dhabi’s pioneering role in integrating technology and sports, citing the upcoming UFC Performance Institute as a hub for global fighter training and data analytics. White also revealed ongoing UFC initiatives to develop AI-driven fighter rankings and explore AI-assisted judging, aiming to improve transparency and fairness in the sport. While acknowledging AI’s limitations in measuring intangible qualities like determination, White praised the students’ innovative ideas, such as using computer vision to analyze fight footage and predict injuries. The event underscored MBZUAI’s growing reputation as a leading AI research institution and its commitment to fostering cross-disciplinary dialogue through initiatives like the Global Thinkers Series. White concluded by commending Abu Dhabi’s long-standing dedication to combat sports, noting its early adoption of jiu-jitsu and MMA as a testament to the city’s forward-thinking approach.
‘Abu Dhabi is always first’: UFC’s Dana White meets UAE students, talks about AI in sports
