The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion will launch a new national competition in China to support the country’s initiative to increase physical activity.

The promotion has teamed up with Migu, the Chinese streaming platform of state-owned China Mobile Communications, and the country’s Leisure Sports Administrative Centre to host MMA-focused fitness competitions.

A series of national fitness competitions will be hosted by the centre, which operates under the General Administration of Sport, and organized by the Chinese Martial Arts Sports Development Commission.

With a new state emphasis on exercise, which has set targets such as a two-hour minimum of daily physical activity in schools, the new partnership aims to “build awareness for adopting a healthy lifestyle and improving physical fitness, by driving mass participation for all ages and backgrounds.”

The UFC said its role will be to “design the programs and tests, establish the rules and scoring, and provide the equipment and execution for each event.”

The events will be held at the company’s base in Shanghai, which also serves as the Chinese Olympic Committee’s high-performance training center.

Migu, meanwhile, will use its position to raise awareness of the competition and promote events across its networks.

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