Dana White says Abu Dhabi ‘Fight Island’ to host UFC 251 featuring Kamaru Usman vs Gilbert Burns
- Alex Volkanovski will rematch Max Holloway in co-main event of stacked card, which also features Petr Yan vs Jose Aldo
- ‘Fight Island’ to host three other events on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island in July and ‘nobody will leave’, says Dana White
UFC president Dana White said on Tuesday the promotion’s “Fight Island” is located in Abu Dhabi and it will host four events next month, including UFC 251.
White had said in April that the UFC was close to securing a private island to stage bouts for international fighters unable to enter the US because of travel restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said Yas Island was being prepared to host UFC 251 on July 11 and three Fight Night events – on July 15, 18 and 25 – with all the infrastructure needed being set up at the venue which is less than a mile from the international airport.
“Everything will happen on the island,” White said on the UFC’s Facebook page. “Nobody will leave the island. They’re going to have their own private training quarters where people can train themselves.
“We really do have an Octagon [for training] out in the sand. The infrastructure’s going to be unbelievable. The people in Abu Dhabi do everything right.”