Dana White securing private island for UFC fights: ‘As of April 18, the UFC is back up and running’
UFC president Dana White on Monday unveiled not only a new main event between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, but the entire revamped UFC 249 fight card.
Hours later, White conducted an interview with TMZ Sports, declaring “as of April 18, the UFC is back up and running.”
That wasn’t the only bomb White dropped on TMZ Sports. He said that not only has he secured a venue in the United States where he intends to set up shop for the next two months, but he is also in the final stages of securing a private island where he can hold events with international fighters.
UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje isn’t a one and done event until the COVID-19 crisis is cleared, White intends for it to be the first event in the remainder of the promotion’s fight schedule for the year.
Dana White plans several UFC events in secret location and on private island
“We’ve been working on this since the world fell apart. Every day, when we would work on something, we would wake up the next day and the world would change. This is definitely the hardest thing that I’ve ever tried to do, ever.”
“So I locked this venue up for two months. I have this venue for two months and I’m setting up shop here. We’re gonna be pumping out fights every week. I have also… I’m 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 international fighters, because I won’t be able to get international fighters, all of them, into the U.S., so I have a private island. I’m gonna start flying them all in to a private island and do international fights from there.”
“So, as of April 18, the UFC is back up and running.”
“The location of UFC 294 is ESPN.”
How will the UFC ensure safety?
“First of all, there won’t be any fans at this thing. There’ll be no fans. Everybody is going to be pre-tested and tested and tested and tested. We’re going to make sure that a hundred percent healthy athletes, healthy athletic commission people, healthy judges, referees, my production people… everybody there is gonna be healthy. We’re gonna make sure that everybody is gonna be safe before, during, and after the fights.”
Is Khabib to blame for being out of UFC 249 main event?
“Khabib, just like all of us, was caught in the middle of this thing, as the world continues to change day by day, as I was trying to book venues and make this thing happen. It is not Khabib’s fault, it is not anybody’s fault. This is something you could never prepare for, plan for or even dream that any of this is possible. Las Vegas is shut down. No casinos are open for a month or maybe more. I never thought I’d see that in my lifetime.”
Will Joe Rogan call the fights?
“(Joe Rogan did not say he wouldn’t be calling these fights), he did not say that. Again, you cannot listen to anything the media says. Nobody talked to him. They heard him talking on a podcast. So they start writing stories off of a podcast that are full of s–t. Rogan will be there.”
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(Courtesy of TMZSports)
Dana White securing private island for UFC fights: ‘As of April 18, the UFC is back up and running’
