When UFC President Dana White started talking about Fight Island earlier this year, the fans imaginations ran wild. There were mockups of fights on the beach and fighters making the walk in the sand.
When the UFC announced Fight Island, it was incredible to see what they had put in place. The protocols and the infrastructure was just incredible. Not to mention, the fights were pretty good which kicked off with UFC 251.
White appeared on TMZ today and discussed when the promotion would be making their return to Abu Dhai.
UFC’s New Fight Capital
“Everyone wants to go there. We’re working on fights right now for the next run. Obviously the big international stars will fight over there. This next trip over there, I’ll probably be there for five weeks,” White told TMZ.
It is unclear when the UFC will be returning, but it will probably hinge on the travel status for some of the international fighters. We know for sure that the UFC is planning on UFC 254 being on Fight Island which is headlined by the Khabib – Gaethje title fight.
Again, depending on travel, the first event that could be back on Fight Island is UFC 253. That card is headlined by the Paulo Costa – Israel Adesanya title fight. That fight is tentatively booked for the APEX, but I could see that one switching venues.
White is expecting Abu Dhabi to remain a staple for big fights in the future. “Abu Dhabi is going to be the fight capital of the world. The infrastructure that’s already built and the stuff were talking about, this is going to become a destination if you’re a fight fan.”
No question that the UFC is planning on continuing their partnership with Abu Dhabi for a long time. The pandemic has increased their partnership and I believe we are going to see Abu Dhabi be a main location for big fights for a very long time.