Edmonton-based Aurora Cannabis has partnered with the UFC for a clinical research project that could soon provide professional fighters with hemp-derived products specifically tailored for them and their medical needs.

The two organizations announced their partnership in Edmonton on Friday ahead of Saturday’s match between Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Arman Tsarukyan at Rogers Place. The partnership is the first of its kind between a professional sports organization and a cannabis company, with Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White calling it “the future” of athlete medical care.

“We believe in the science, we believe that this is the future of athlete health and safety,” White told reporters Friday. The research will take place over the span of eight years, and will involve a large number of mixed martial arts athletes under the UFC banner.

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