UFC 251 is coming, COVID-19 spikes be damned. That’s what Dana White is saying with two new posts on his Instagram revealing “Fight Island.”
The UFC is building facilities on 2,000 square-mile Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, and this is White’s way of saying he will make fights happen come hell or high water.
White shared video clips full of info about what fighters can expect as well as how intense the project is as a whole.
Fighters, for example, will have to be tested five times before they get into the Octagon, and they’ll have three medical centers. And this was no light endeavor for the UFC—it apparently has taken more than 400,000 hours of work and massive amounts of construction material.
In what is perhaps a nod to generally agreed-upon findings that indicate COVID-19 does not spread easily outdoors, there is a beachside ring as well.
Credit to Dana White after watching the videos—though he’s received a lot of heat for his “keep the show going” ethos, it’s pretty clear the UFC is going the extra mile with sanitary measures for fighters and behind-the-scenes crew.
Check out both videos above.
The event is slated to feature Welterweight champ Kamaru Usman taking on Gilbert Burns. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will face Max Holloway (II), and Bantamweights Petr Yan and José Aldo will square off for the vacant Bantamweight title. UFC 251 happens July 11 in Abu Dhabi and viewers can Livestream it on ESPN+.
