A recent interview by Sports Illustrated with UFC president Dana White shared an insight on White’s plans and upcoming projects.
The UFC Upcoming Even in Las Vegas on May 23
A recent interview with Sports Illustrated has shared an insight for the upcoming UFC events. The UFC is actually the first sport to return to the screens following nearly two months of quarantine and social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first UFC event – after the coronavirus lockdown – already took place on May 9. UFC 249 was held at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. It is known that two more events are planned to take place on May 13 and May 16 in Florida City. The next event in line is announced for May 23 and expected to take place in Las Vegas, while no site is confirmed at this point.
The championship president Dana White commented that the four cards from May 9 to May 23 mark the return of the UFC to its orderly schedule. He further noted that for the opening card in Jacksonville, the partners were quite helpful. With their help, a proper and safe way was found for the even to be conducted. In White’s own words: “You just can’t hide forever. Who gets to determine how long we go without sports? It’s a really weird situation, in a weird time.”
White Comments on the UFC Return Being Far from Reckless
White noted that the return of UFC events is compliant with utmost safety measures. This way the championship can ensure the safety of the employees, the fans and fighters. He continued that such safety and precautions isn’t anything out of the ordinary for the UFC.
According to White, the return of UFC is far from reckless. This is considering that a plan was prepared for the UFC re-launch and this plan is being implemented for their events. White further noted: “Listen, there’s no guarantee. There’s nowhere I can say it’s 100%. Nothing is 100%, especially when you’re dealing with, like, a virus. Staying home every day isn’t gonna guarantee anything, either.”
The Fight Island
In the interview for Sports Illustrated, the UFC president mentioned Fight Island once again. Despite the rumors about the dismissal of this event, White actually shared further details. So far it is known that this would be a UFC-only training facility. Although its location is not released yet, White noted that currently they are working on the infrastructure.
According to White, the UFC Fight Island is going to be much more advanced and it will not resemble the typical vision of a video-game-related expectations for such a place. He further noted that the Fight Island is going to be used quite regularly until the world shakes off the pandemic. Another plus of having a dedicated fight island is the easy access for the people who can fly in without the need of a visa, White points out.