

UFC president Dana White has made a bold decision to go ahead with UFC 249 amidst the coronavirus pandemic. While announcing the event, he talked about a private island that he has secured for the event. White also had to make adjustments in the main event. With Khabib Nurmagomedov locked down in his hometown, he had to bring in Justin Gaethje to fight Tony Ferguson.
“I have a private island that I’ve secured; we’re getting the infrastructure put in now, so I’m gonna start doing the international fights, too,” he said. “With international fighters, because I won’t be able to get international fighters into the US. I have a private island that I’m gonna start flying them all in and doing international flights from there.
“We’re going to get the fighters somewhere, and we’re going to bring them to this location. They won’t know where they’re headed to.”@danawhite explains the logistics of how fighters will be transported to the site of #UFC249, as well as the soon-to-be-secured private island. pic.twitter.com/KMPGZ0qc9Q
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 7, 2020
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“So as of April 18th, the UFC is back up and running.”
Dana White assures the safety of UFC 249
While many have criticized White’s move of holding an event at this time, he has ensured that safety has always been a top priority.
“Health and safety is a thing we worry about all the time,” he told ESPN. “Not just during the coronavirus.
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“Obviously, this has made our job a little tough. But we’re going to do everything above and beyond to make sure everybody that’s associated with this event is safe. Just like we always do. A lot of things.”
In a hilarious tweet on Wednesday, White said that the UFC 249 was safer than anywhere else, including outer space.
Internet is Undefeated pic.twitter.com/TOL6qjnYNo
— danawhite (@danawhite) April 8, 2020
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White has only revealed that the event will take place on an island. Its exact location is still unknown. At a time when most of the sporting events in the world remain inactive, UFC going ahead with an event is indeed surprising.
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