A lot has happened in the UFC this Monday.
UFC 249 card is revealed, and the biggest news is that we have Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik involved in this event. Apart from that, Dana White announced new spectacles, saying that he has almost the entire infrastructure ready to pull off something like that.
White’s statement is something that created a lot of hype. He declared that the UFC would have events every week, and that right now, he has the venue for the UFC 249, but that also negotiates about securing a private island, which would allow him to organize fights on the international level.
“We’re gonna be pumping out fights every week,” White said. “I’m also a day or two away from securing a private island,” White said. “I have a private island that I’ve secured. We’re getting the infrastructure put in now, so I’m gonna start doing the international fights too with international fighters.”
It is no doubt fantastic news for all the MMA fans around the world. The need for an island comes from the fact that he might not be able to get some foreign fighters into the US. In this case, he would send private planes for them and take them on the island without any problems.
As for UFC 249, the event will take place in the USA, but White didn’t reveal the exact location. The president of the most prominent MMA association on the globe also wanted to shut down all the voices who criticized Khabib Nurmagomedov, accusing the champion of an intentional withdrawal from the bout against Tony Ferguson.
Khabib is stuck in Russia without the possibility of getting out of the country, but many believe that he planned something like that. White denies all such rumors.
“Khabib was caught in the middle of this thing as the world continued to change, day by day, and I was trying to book venues,” White said. “It’s not Khaib’s fault – it’s not anybody’s fault.
Nurmagomedov defended himself, saying that he followed the instructions from the UFC, and that one of them suggested that the bout between him and Ferguson might take place in the United Arab Emirates. It is why he went there, but found out shortly after arriving that the country would close its borders. He would travel to Russia afterward and ended up stuck in his native Dagestan.
"You get Gaethje versus Tony; it's the fight that makes sense. It's two of the top guys in the world. Khabib is out, so the winner will face Khabib."@danawhite tells @bokamotoESPN that the #UFC249 main event winner might have to wait "until probably September" to fight Khabib. pic.twitter.com/csYonkd9Gl
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 7, 2020
White spoke about the security of the organizers and the participants at the UFC 249. The part of the public is pretty hostile towards the event and its organization in the moment of COVID-19 pandemic. In the last few days, there was a lot of criticism surrounding this spectacle.
White told that all those who are in this would be tested before the start of the organization and that the safety measures are going to be at the highest possible level, before, during and after the event.
“Everybody is going to be pre-tested and tested and tested,” White said. “We’re going to make sure that 100 percent healthy athletes, healthy athletic commission people, healthy judges, referees, my production people, that everybody there is healthy. We’re going to make sure that everybody is safe before, during, and after the fights.”
He also added that Joe Rogan would attend the battles, although some media reported that the famous commentator wouldn’t be there due to fears over his health.
Starting this Monday, the organization began booking all those fighters whose bouts were canceled in the previous period and will try to arrange them new matches. It is probably part of the plan which White revealed, saying that the UFC would produce weekly events. In times like these, those are going to be the only high-profile sports shows on the planet.
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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