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Lone’er Kavanagh pictured with youths of the OnSide program
UFC Foundation

UFC CELEBRATES FOUR YEARS OF CHANGING LIVES THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUTH CHARITY, ONSIDE

Apr. 22, 2026

London, UK – UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation, is celebrating four years of partnership with national youth charity OnSide. The partnership aims to create a positive environment for young people through martial-arts and mentoring-focused programmes.

Since launching in Croydon, South London in 2022 after former UFC athlete Jimi Manuwa campaigned for more community initiatives to prevent youth crime in the area, the partnership has expanded to several OnSide Youth Zones across the country, including The Way Youth Zone (Wolverhampton), Wigan Youth Zone, and The Hive Youth Zone (Wirral), engaging 427 young people in total during 2025 alone – up from 184 during the first year. 

On top of allowing participants to develop key skills in safe, supportive environments, partnership highlights over the last four years include giving young people the opportunity to attend a UFC event and UFC lightweight star Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett appearing at the launch of a mental-health focused programme at OnSide’s The Hive Youth Zone in October 2025. UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, featherweight Lerone Murphy, and welterweight Michael Venom Page are among the athletes who have participated in the programme, providing support and volunteering their time to help train and mentor young people.

Infographic showing successes of OnSide program

To celebrate the partnership UFC rising star Lone’er Kavanagh led an interactive striking session at OnSide’s Legacy Youth Zone in Croydon ahead of UFC FIGHT NIGHT: EVLOEV vs MURPHY at The O2, London, on Saturday 21st March this year.   

Speaking about the impact of the initiative, Myke Catterall, Chief Executive of Legacy, the OnSide Youth Zone in Croydon said: “For the past four years, UFC has been an important partner helping us give young people in Croydon access to opportunities they might not otherwise experience. This partnership has supported our mission to help young people develop confidence, receive vital support and make positive choices. It’s been wonderful to see the positive impact on our young people from involvement in the UFC programme – it’s making a real difference.”

UFC flyweight Lone’er Kavanagh said: “It was an awesome experience training at Legacy Youth Zone here in Croydon. Some of the kids here are close to my age, and it’s massive to be able to come here and help them train. When I was growing up we didn’t have a place like this, but I wish we did, and it’s great to be here to help.”

Jamie Masraff, CEO at OnSide said: “OnSide’s partnership with UFC has enabled over 400 young people to benefit from high-quality martial arts sessions and wellbeing support groups that reflect our joint commitment to supporting young people’s wellbeing. The sessions provide our members with the space to talk openly, build confidence, strengthen their resilience and feel a real sense of belonging – all vital building blocks for young people as they transition into adulthood.”
OnSide is a national youth charity with a network of 18 youth centres (which they call Youth Zones) across the UK. Their mission is to empower young people aged 8-19 (and up to 25 for those with additional needs) to lead positive, fulfilling lives by providing access to incredible spaces and exceptional youth work. To find out more about OnSide please visit www.onsideyouthzones.org/ 

About UFC®
UFC® is the world's premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and approximately 353 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while distributing programming to more than 1 billion broadcast and digital households across more than 210 countries and territories. UFC's athlete roster features the world's best MMA athletes representing more than 75 countries. The organization's digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world's leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.

About OnSide  
OnSide is a national charity that believes all young people should have the opportunity to discover their passion and their purpose. 

To find out what they’ve got and where it could take them. We fund and build state-of-the-art, multimillion-pound Youth Zones in the country’s most economically disadvantaged areas.  We train the amazing people that run them. We offer continuing support – and the nationwide OnSide Network where they can learn and grow, share their stories and celebrate their success together. These are brand new, purpose-built spaces fizzing with energy, and crammed with incredible facilities. They offer 20 activities each night ranging from football, climbing and media to skating, DJ-ing, drama and employability training with entry costing just 50p along with a £5 annual membership.  They are staffed by skilled and dedicated youth workers who truly believe in young people – helping them see what they could achieve, and giving them the skills, confidence and ambition to go for it.  

Over 50,000 young people are already members across the OnSide network at our 16 open Youth Zones in:   

There are six new Youth Zones currently at different stages of development including Barnsley, Crewe, Preston, Grimsby, South Bristol and Thurrock. Each Youth Zone is an independent charity with its own private sector-led board. This model of local ownership is a key factor in ensuring the financial sustainability of each Youth Zone. The Youth Zone provides a way for local communities to actively support their young people between the age of 8 and 19 (25 for those with additional needs). Visit www.onsideyouthzones.org for more details

 

Press Contact for UFC:

Niamh Moran
+44 7800 513 876
niamh.moran@ufc.com

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