UFC president Dana White was adamant about keeping his events up and running throughout the COVID-19 outbreak before ultimately postponing three events beginning in mid-March. Since then, he’s maintained the organization would hold UFC 249 despite other sports organizations continuing to halt normal business operations. That card appears to be at the finish line with Monday’s announcement of Tony Ferguson against Justin Gaethje in the main event emanating from an undisclosed location on April 18.
But UFC 249 is just the first step in White’s apparent master plan to keep his business thriving, telling TMZ Sports late Monday that he is “a day or two away” from closing a deal for a private island where he can hold fights during the coronavirus pandemic.
During the interview, White acknowledged he has the UFC 249 venue for two months, where he plans to host fights every week. From there, if he secures the private island, he’ll be able to host international fighters on private planes. White is guaranteeing that they’ll be tested for COVID-19 and the UFC will ensure fighters will be healthy coming into their bouts, but there will certainly be understandable questions about whether they can do so effectively.
Should White get clearance, this could open the door for some of the summer’s most anticipated fights, starting with Henry Cejudo’s scheduled return to the Octagon against Jose Aldo at UFC 250.