White

By FCF Staff

Recently the UFC announced that its April 18th card is going ahead, and while a location for the event hasn’t been announced, Dana White has provided more details on the promotion’s plan. One of those details apparently includes holding fights on a private island.

On Monday, the UFC announced that UFC 249 is going ahead and that it will be headlined by a bout between Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson for an interim lightweight title. While speaking to TMZ after the announcement, White also relayed the following (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“I locked this venue (that will host UFC 249) for two months. I have this venue for two months, and we’re setting up shop here. We’re going to be pumping out fights every week. I’m also a day or two away from securing a private island. I have a private island that I’ve secured. We’re getting the infrastructure put in now, so I’m going to start doing the international fights, too, with the international fighters.

“I’m not going to be able to get the international fighters, all of them into the U.S., so I have a private island. I’m going to start flying them all into the private island and start doing international fights from there. So as of April 18, the UFC is back up and running. … We have all our own planes and everything we’re going to fly into the island with the fighters.”

White also reported that fighters, their team, and staff will be tested as a result of the ongoing, coronavirus pandemic.

“Everyone is going to be tested and tested and tested,” White said. “We’re going to make sure healthy athletes, healthy athletic commission people, healthy judges, referees, my production people, and everyone there is going to be healthy. We’re going to make sure everybody is going to be safe before, during and after the fights.”

UFC 249 was originally set to take place in Brooklyn, New York. But due to bans on public gatherings in the state, as a result of the pandemic, the promotion was forced to look for another location.