UFC “Fight Island” location officially released
UFC Fight Island was officially released by the UFC today. UFC President, Dana White, announced the location on facebook live. Octagonreport.com reported the location early Saturday of last week. The UFC Fight Island is confirmed as Yas Island and will be held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Yas Island will host 4 events in the span of a month. Events will take place July 11, 15, 18, and 25. The UFC has released several fights and we now have a main event for the first card held July 11.
There will be 3 title fights. The card will be headlined by welterweights. The UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will defend his title against teammate Gilbert Burns.
The UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight strap against Max Holloway.
The bantamweight strap is up for grabs, as well. Henry Cejudo announced his early retirement from the sport which left an open division.
Petr Yan will fight Jose Aldo for the vacant title.
The full card was announced by Dana White on First take.
White said only people associated with the UFC event will be on the island and that there will be no one else within 10 square miles.
“These are the only guys who could pull this off and do it this quick,” White said. “What they are doing is incredible. They are creating this safety zone where we’re walled off from everyone. There will be a hotel, restaurants, training facilities, the fight venue, everything. This is going to be incredible.”
“It’s going to be a bad-ass summer, my friend,” White said. “These are ridiculous, very important fights and we made it happen. We got it done.”
White said he doesn’t expect to have to be quarantined after returning to the U.S. from Abu Dhabi.
“A lot of the stuff that is coming out about [the coronavirus pandemic] is turning out to be bulls—, so I think by then, things will have loosened up,” he said.
UFC 251 Card
Kamaru Usmanvs. Gilbert Burns
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Hollway2
Petr Yan vs Jose Aldo
Rose namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade 2
Paige vanZant vs. Ribas
July 11 will kick off the first Fight Island card with a stacked line up of fights. Who will be crowned bantamweight champion? Will there be a new champions at welterweight and featherweight?
