Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

White: Fight Island is in UAE, will host UFC 251

Written by 
Published in Breaking News
Tuesday, 09 June 2020 12:39

The UFC's Fight Island is real, and it's located in the Middle East.

UFC president Dana White revealed to ESPN's First Take on Tuesday 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 pay-per-view on July 11. UFC Fight Night cards will take place on July 15, 18 and 25.

UFC 251 will feature three championship bouts, according to White. A welterweight title bout between champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns will headline. The card will also see a featherweight title rematch between Alex Volkanovski and Max Holloway, and Petr Yan will take on Jose Aldo for the vacant bantamweight championship.

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," White said Tuesday. "And we are a true global business; we're the only ones that are pulling off live sports right now. 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."

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 First Take 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.

Read 286 times

Soccer

Source: Ex-Bucks owner nearing NC Courage deal

Source: Ex-Bucks owner nearing NC Courage deal

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFormer Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry is close to a deal to buy a...

Flick: Early red changed game 'totally' for Barca

Flick: Early red changed game 'totally' for Barca

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBarcelona coach Hansi Flick felt Eric García's early red card was t...

'He's a cat': Raya praised for stunning double save

'He's a cat': Raya praised for stunning double save

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsArsenal goalkeeper David Raya was hailed by his manager Mikel Artet...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Sources: Pelicans bring in Payton on camp deal

Sources: Pelicans bring in Payton on camp deal

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe New Orleans Pelicans are bringing in veteran guard Elfrid Payto...

Melo's son: Cuse is finalist, but dad doesn't push

Melo's son: Cuse is finalist, but dad doesn't push

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsKiyan Anthony knows better than most about his father's legacy at S...

Baseball

Mets plate 10 in 3 straight games for first time

Mets plate 10 in 3 straight games for first time

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- The New York Mets scored double-digit runs in three str...

Soto to get X-rays after 'scary' slide into wall

Soto to get X-rays after 'scary' slide into wall

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOne day after clinching a postseason berth, the New York Yankees re...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated