The New England Patriots are spending the week in Las Vegas leading up to Friday's preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, and while players have stressed it's a business trip, coach Bill Belichick added a fun wrinkle to the schedule Wednesday.
Players and coaches enjoyed a visit to the Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance Institute.
During the tour, UFC president Dana White strapped a championship belt around Belichick's waist, which had the legendary 70-year-old coach raising his arms in playful celebration.
Bill Belichick just won a UFC title #Patriots pic.twitter.com/YI9mqcjUZ9
— Brendan Fitzgerald (@BrendanFitzTV) August 24, 2022
On safety Devin McCourty's Instagram story, he shared a picture of the team gathered at the facility in front of a sign that read, "UFC welcomes six-time Super Bowl champions New England Patriots."
Receiver Kendrick Bourne posted a video to Instagram of him holding up a UFC bag saying, "I just signed with UFC. I'm a fighter now! I changed my career."
The UFC Performance Institute is a 30,000-square-foot facility "efficiently designed to deliver a holistic integrated performance service portfolio," per the league's website.
It includes an altitude chamber, striking area, regulation octagon, grappling area and regulation boxing ring, among other things.
The Patriots traveled to Las Vegas on Sunday and held a practice at the Raiders' facility Monday. Then Tuesday and Wednesday, the team worked with the Raiders, reuniting with former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is in his first year as Las Vegas' head coach.
Following Wednesday's practice, there was a break in the schedule, which made it the ideal time for the Patriots to transition from the football field to the cage. They learned that terms like "clinch," "guard" and "ground and pound" have a much different meaning in the UFC compared to the NFL.