Community
UFC recently partnered with the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center to visit several local charities and host athlete meet and greets as part fight week for UFC 302: MAKHACHEV vs POIRIER.
“Newark and all of its residents continue to play an essential role in the success of Prudential Center and its events,” said Jake Reynolds, President, New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center. “As New Jersey’s town hall of sports and entertainment, The Rock’s relationship with Newark underscores the importance of the city as its home by driving economic growth and enriching the local identity.”
“Furthermore, the impact of hosting major UFC events, including the highest-grossing event in Prudential Center’s history, UFC 302, has been profound. Bringing global attention to the city of Newark, these high-profile UFC events serve to boost local tourism, highlight local community groups, invigorate the economy, and showcase Newark as a premier destination for marquee events.”
On Wednesday, May 29, UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar, UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney, and New Jersey Devils forward Curtis Lazar spent time with local youth while joining the daily afternoon programming with the Boys & Girls Club of Newark (BGCN).
“We’d like to thank UFC and the New Jersey Devils for visiting us and supporting our organization that allows us to do the work every day to enrich the lives of Newark’s young people,” said Ameer Washington, Chief Executive Officer – Boys & Girls Club of Newark. “We are thankful for our partnership and look forward to sharing the impact with our entire BGCN family.”
BGCN empowers children to make good choices, sustain meaningful relationships with peers and caring adults, develop a positive self-image, and become productive, engaged members of the Newark community.
During the event, UFC surprised the 2024 BGCN Youth of the Year, Precious Akinyele, with a replica desktop championship belt for her accomplishments in drama and the organization’s STEM program.
“It was great to have everyone here today and the belt was a nice surprise,” said Akinyele. “This is another example to show that my hard work, my integrity, the things that I’ve done in school and in BGCN, the people I’ve helped, has all paid off.”
At the conclusion of the event, both UFC and the New Jersey Devils made a $10,000 donation to the organization to help further their mission and goals.
On Thursday, May 30, UFC athletes Terrance McKinney and Andre Petroski conducted an hour-long Q&A session over lunch with youth members of Covenant House Newark.
As the largest provider of housing and supportive services to youth ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness and as the lead agency in support of survivors of human trafficking, Covenant House has served more than 45,000 young people since its establishment in 1989.
“Covenant House is grateful for our partnership with UFC and the New Jersey Devils to support our young people facing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking,” said Jen Williams, Senior Director of Development, Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ). “The shared stories of inspiration from the athletes to our youth and the financial contributions are a welcomed addition to the mission and work if CHNJ. We look forward to expanding this new relationship to further assist our young people.”
McKinney and Petroski, who both overcame addiction during their youth, emphasized never giving up on your goals and having a high level of belief when overcoming obstacles.
“Speaking with these kids today really made an impact on me,” said McKinney. “I’ve been in their shoes, and I know exactly how they feel at this point of their lives. They have been through hell, and I’m glad that we can serve as inspiration to show them that they can overcome any obstacle and make a difference. All we need is someone to believe in us.”
At the conclusion of the event, UFC and the New Jersey Devils each made a $10,000 donation to the organization.
Later that evening, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, former BMF champion Justin Gaethje and McKinney also joined the youth boxing program at Newark’s JFK Recreation Center.
The program, designed to provide a safe space for Newark youth ages 6 – 18, collaborates with the Newark Police Department to educate its members on proper nutrition while hosting boxing, karate, wrestling, and judo classes four days per week.
“This is a really cool program,” said Gaethje. “Having a program that gives kids different disciplines to learn is great because they can try all of them and then pick the one, they like best. But, if they like all four, they get the same chance to learn them all. When I was a kid, I focused strictly on wrestling, but as an adult, jiu-jitsu and boxing have both helped me become more well-rounded.”
At the conclusion of the event, UFC committed to donating much-needed equipment to the program.
UFC’s corporate social responsibility program, #UFCInTheCommunity, strategically collaborates with partners, sponsors, and athletes to develop additional charitable programs and funding sources to help support and inspire the local community. To learn more, please visit UFCFOUNDATION.
