It's Time For Fight Island
By Martin Rogers
Dana White is looking for a fight. This weekend, he's going to get that, and more, as "Fight Island" officially becomes a reality.
While the world has been fighting against the aggressive seep of the coronavirus these past four months, White has been fighting – to keep fighters fighting.
Forget getting going; he never wanted to shut down in the first place.
The result is that as all sports battle fresh realities and a multitude of headaches, White, the willing villain and irrepressible showman, is about to put on one of his company’s biggest cards ever, from a mystical exclusion zone known as “Fight Island.”
“If everything goes well, it is a massive success,” Yahoo Sports national columnist Dan Wetzel, who has known White for more than a decade, told me. “(White) problem-solved in the middle of a pandemic and against much criticism made what seemed impossible, possible.
“He’s always said things like ‘the UFC finds a way’ and nothing proves that more than Fight Island.”
When President Donald Trump met with various sports league officials in the first weeks after COVID-19 reached North America, White was among the most aggressive in seeking to put on events.
After getting foiled in attempting to use Californian tribal casino facilities, the UFC put on three shows from Jacksonville, Fla., starting on May 9, then five more from its own facility in Las Vegas. But those fights were limited to fighters in the United States.
Now, things are about to reach a new level, as highlighted by former featherweight champion Max Holloway.
“I want to fight on the beach,” Holloway said, this week.
Yes, White and his team have installed an octagon on the sand at Yas (now Fight) Island, an enclave on the coast of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. They’ve also set up an arena, training sites and administrative space.
Fighters have been flown in by private jet ahead of UFC 251, tested, quarantined, before then finding all they need to get ready for action.
The bouts themselves are supposed to take place in an indoor venue, but Holloway is not alone in clamoring for some to be switched to the training ring beachside, marveling at the prospect of the extraordinary visuals it would provide.
And there is no umbrage to be taken with the card his matchmakers have formulated, among the most stacked in UFC history.
Holloway’s bid to reclaim the featherweight crown from Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski is a rip-roaring reboot of Volkanovski’s dominant win at UFC 245 in December.
The bantamweight belt is also on the line on Saturday, with dual champion Henry Cejudo’s sudden retirement having opened the door for contenders Petr Yan and Jose Aldo to grab some hardware.
But the highlight is Kamaru Usman’s defense of the welterweight belt against fan favorite Jorge Masvidal, who stepped in late when original opponent Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID.
It took a new contract to appease Masvidal, who has been vocal about fighter pay for years, but the compromise made a really good card even better.
Masvidal is playing up the attention, jetting on in wearing an outlandish pink robe and even grabbing a slice of pizza when the plane touched down in Rome to refuel.
“Anticipation,” long-time UFC fan Matt Nguyen told me. “That’s what makes a great mixed martial arts card. This has so much anticipation because you have three big title fights, the thrill of Masvidal coming in late – plus the whole buzz around Fight Island and how totally freaking cool that is.
“My wife doesn’t get why I like Dana White so much, and I get it. But if you are a fan of the UFC, you know that there is this constant effort to keep the show on the road, no matter what. If you’ve been bored to tears for a few months, like many of us, that means a lot.”
You don’t have to like White. He’s not much bothered either way, but be safe in knowing this.
Whatever you think of the man who made the card happen, it is okay to love the fact that the juiciest sports event since the shutdown is about to go ahead.