By: Fernando Quiles Jr. –
UFC president Dana White says “Fight Island” is ahead of schedule.
When the coronavirus pandemic took effect, it left quite a negative impact on lives globally. Aside from being a deadly threat, the virus also changed how businesses were operated. Many had to shut down, at least temporarily, and the world of sports was no exception. The UFC had to cancel several events but White says the promotion is now back on track.
Dana White Says ‘Fight Island’ Ahead Of Schedule
White spoke to Eddie Hearn and Tony Bellow on the Talk The Talk podcast. During his appearance, the UFC boss revealed that he’s bumping up the planned debut of “Fight Island” (via MMAJunkie).
“The first fight on ‘Fight Island’ is probably going to be around June 27 – not July,” White said.
White went on to talk about the sacrifices that have to be made in order for “Fight Island” to become a reality.
“Let me tell you about ‘Fight Island,’” he told Hearn. “‘Fight Island’ is so (expletive) expensive, and so (expletive) crazy and almost impossible to pull off. When you’re talking about planes flying people in and you have to quarantine people and all these things that we’re going through – it’s (expletive) insane to be even trying to do this. But I promise you, we will do it and we will pull it off.”
White has been adamant about keeping the UFC running amid the COVID-19 crisis. White has said that he hopes other major sports organizations can see what the UFC is doing and take inspiration. The UFC is missing out on a good chunk of revenue during this time due to the lack of live gates.
Due to travel restrictions, international fighters couldn’t make it out to a lot of the events. The UFC’s solution was to secure a private island for international fight cards. White insists that no stone is being left unturned when it comes to the safety of athletes and staff.
