NFL
By: Julio Olmo
Dana White was determined to get UFC Fight Island on by any means necessary and now it has become a reality.
Located in the Middle East, Yas Island in Abu Dhabi , UFC will hold fights there July 11, July 15, July 18 and July 25.
Hopefully, UFC will be doing very strict Coronavirus testing so their fighters do not get sick.
UFC president Dana White revealed to ESPN that his mysterious Fight Island is located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The island will help the company promote some of its international athletes who have a hard time entering the United States because of travel restrictions caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The UFC will host four events on Fight Island next month, starting with a UFC 251.
UFC® KICKS OFF EVENTS ON UFC FIGHT ISLAND WITH THREE THRILLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS
The designated area of Yas Island that will make up Fight Island includes an arena, hotel, training facilities and dining establishments, per the UFC.
It will also include a Safety Zone of 10 square miles in which the only people permitted will be athletes, coaches, UFC staff and limited personnel.
“We’re literally just going to Yas Island right now to pull off these fights, because the hardest thing to do right now is to get people into the country from other parts of the world,” Dana White said, “And we are a true global business…And if I continue to do fights in the United States, I’m gonna burn out all my American talent. So now we’ve got Yas Island ready to go; it’s set up.”
The UFC will then continue events on UFC FIGHT ISLAND with:
- UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: KATTAR vs. IGE on Wednesday, July 15
- UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: FIGUEIREDO vs. BENAVIDEZ 2 on Saturday, July 18
- UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: WHITTAKER vs. TILL on Saturday, July 25
A training Octagon will, in fact, be set up on the beach, as White had said in a previous interview with ESPN.
The company has strong ties to Abu Dhabi, and specifically Yas Island, dating back to its first live event there in 2010.
Flash Entertainment, an Abu Dhabi entity, at one point held a 10% stake in the UFC before the company’s $4 billion sale in 2016. The UFC has held three events at Yas Island and, in 2019, signed a five-year deal to hold annual cards there.
The most recent UFC event on Yas Island was UFC 242 in September, headlined by a lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier.
The UFC was forced to postpone six scheduled events in March, April and May because of the coronavirus, but has returned to a consistent schedule since its return on May 9 in Florida. The company promoted three events in a span of eight days in Florida and has since promoted two more over the past two weeks in Las Vegas.
White also said on ESPN that Stipe Miocic will fight Daniel Cormier for a third time Aug. 15, although a venue has not yet been set. The pair split their first two bouts.
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Personally speaking, there aren’t five things which I’m in agreement with Dana White, but he fits UFC fan base – often turbulent, personality to the T.
You tell him, “Boss, you can’t do that.” and he shouts right back at you, “Watch Me!”.
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This is the first look at the testing and infrastructure being built on Fight Island (Yas Island, Abu Dhabi). This experience is going to so BADASS for my fighters and my staff!!! #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/dog3eIhxxC
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 30, 2020
Next stop… 🏝#InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/zBwnvy2Seb
— UFC (@ufc) June 28, 2020
