Return To Fight Island?

We may be about to see a lot more events on ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, based on UFC president Dana White’s latest comments.

2020 was the year Abu Dhabi finally earned its label as one of the fight capitols of the world after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the UFC to hold nearly half of its events in the United Arab Emirates. A big part of why the UFC went to such lengths to launch ‘Fight Island’ was travel restrictions: with various parts of the world locking down as wave after wave of COVID-19 hit, the promotion needed a place where it could hold fights for its international athletes.

Now with the US implementing a vaccination requirement on anyone flying into America, UFC president Dana White says a return to more events in Abu Dhabi may be ahead.

“I’ve been telling you guys through this whole thing,” White said during the most recent Contender Series post-fight press conference (via MMA Fighting). “You’re like, ‘Hey, what about this, what about that?’ I said I have no idea how all this nuttiness is going to play out, but here we go. We’re gonna – I don’t know. I think ‘Fight Island’ is going to be hopping again.”

“Yeah, we’re looking to do more events [there]. I’m going to Abu Dhabi next Wednesday, so I have a lot of meetings out there. I’ve been dying to walk you guys through what’s been going on in Abu Dhabi anyways, so this trip I’ll get everything done, buttoned up and finished and I can come back and walk you guys through it.”

UFC 267 goes down from Abu Dhabi on October 30th, a rare afternoon pay-per-view for American audiences that has led to the UFC gifting the event to anyone with an ESPN+ subscription. It’s also a nice little hype appetizer for November 6th’s massive UFC 268 card in New York City a week later.

We can’t imagine the UFC will go back to holding nearly half of their cards on the other side of the world, but Abu Dhabi is definitely a secure homebase for the promotion to rely on and/or fall back on when it comes to international events. Just knowing they have the facilities and a friendly government at the ready certainly doesn’t hurt when considering the possibility of events in France, Africa, the UK, or China.