THE first look at UFC’s “Fight Island” has been provided on Twitter by the company’s president Dana White.
Ahead of the hotly anticipated “Fight Island” pay-per-view and fight night’s later this month, some light has been shed on the testing and infrastructure prepared for the island.
When the term “Fight Island” was first mentioned by Dana White, it seemed a far off distant prospect. Coming off the back of postponements and cancellations after the Covid-19 outbreak, White’s suggestion seemed unlikely.
Three months later, we’re just weeks out from four blockbuster cards set to be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Fights to Watch
-Kamaru Usman vs Gilbert Burns (Welterweight Championship Main Event)
-Alexander Volkanovski vs Max Holloway (Featherweight Championship)
-Petr Yan vs José Aldo (Bantamweight Championship)
-Jéssica Andrade vs Rose Namajunes
-Volkan Oezdemir vs Jiri Prochazka
-Calvin Kattar vs Dan Ige
-Frankie Edgar vs Pedro Munhoz
-Deiveson Figueiredo vs Joseph Benavidez (Flyweight Championship)
-Jack Hermansson vs Kelvin Gastelum
-Robert Whittaker vs Darren Till
-Fabricio Werdum vs Alexander Gustafsson
With a host of title fights and big-name matchups, “Fight Island” will be one of the biggest periods in the promotion’s history.
One question in the build-up to July has been what the UFC’s setup will look like and how they will adhere to the strict Covid-19 testing.
Through his Twitter account, Dana White has provided some answers.
The UFC President shared the first look at the system behind testing and the building of infrastructure ahead the UFC 251 PPV on July 11.
The first short video explains how 2004 Covid-19 tests have already been completed. It also goes some way to showing the sheer level of medical preparation that is being put in place.
Also on display are some impressive numbers. The construction boasts 400,000 man hours, 650,000 square feet worth of property and 350 tons of metal.
Dana wrote: “This is the first look at the testing and infrastructure being built on Fight Island (Yas Island, Abu Dhabi),
“This experience is going to so BADASS for my fighters and my staff!!!”
White released a part two on Tuesday, showcasing the Flash Forum, temporary arena, and Octagon setup.
Creating a Location
Speaking about the location, White went on to say: “The fighters are not going to walk out lined up with tiki torches on the side.
“I will not be sitting in a big throne overseeing the octagon and watching the fight.
“We actually have an arena. We built a little arena there that’s very, very cool.
“The fighters will have their own private places to train. And, there will be an octagon on the beach too.”
“Then we’ll start receiving the first international guests that will also undergo their set of precautionary measures.
With 740 workers, the construction seems a monumental task. The destination marketing director Saeed Al Saeed gave some insight into the project’s precautionary measures.
“When the handover happens from the team currently working on the site for the UFC Fight Island ‘bubble’ on July 2, then Fight Island is basically secured – the barricades are up and no one’s in or out.
“Then we’ll start receiving the first international guests that will also undergo their set of precautionary measures.
“So July 2, the island goes into lockdown fully, which means from then we’ll be completely prepared to host the UFC.
“This is currently the safest place in the world, bar none. This is the first Covid-19-free bubble in the world, and we’re very proud to announce that’s coming out of Abu Dhabi.
“I can’t imagine anyone going to such extreme ends to make sure the people that are involved in a singular event are safe and taken care of.”
UFC’s “Fight Island” MMA action gets underway in just over a week, with an enticing three title fight’s on its UFC 251 PPV card.