Abu Dhabi might end up becoming the fight capital of the world: White

UFC president Dana White

Abu Dhabi - The UFC boss also made it clear that Abu Dhabi would be the ideal venue if any of the future events needed to be moved from the US

By Ashwani Kumar

Published: Sat 18 Jul 2020, 7:48 PM

Last updated: Sat 18 Jul 2020, 9:56 PM

The disturbing rise in Covid-19 cases in the US could force the UFC to shift their August events from Las Vegas to the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, Dana White confirmed on Saturday.
The UFC boss also made it clear that Abu Dhabi would be the ideal venue if any of the future events needed to be moved from the US.
"Why would I even think of going anywhere else? Abu Dhabi might end up becoming the fight capital of the world," White told reporters ahead of the second Fight Night event to be held on Sunday

Lookin' Forward to a Fight is now LIVE https://t.co/3dUqLilptx #InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/UzxhdSbFD9
- danawhite (@danawhite) July 18, 2020

"Seriously. When you think about it, it's definitely not Las Vegas right now."
But White has got 'backup plans' to host fights at an undisclosed venue in the US.
"We are going to do a lot of fights in Abu Dhabi. But we have to do some of these fights in the US. I am always a worst-case scenario guy. I was thinking about this two months ago, not just now. I have some backup plans. It's not ideal, not what I want to do."
Apart from next month's schedule, White is unsure about the venue for the Contender Series.
"We will have to stay somewhere for five weeks for the Contender Series. If I have to stay somewhere for five weeks, Abu Dhabi would be a great place to do it. But it's a long trip. We will figure it out. We have proved that we can do it," he said.
And Dubai star Mounir Lazzez, according to White, has created a buzz in the region with his 'Fight of the Night' performance.
"The fight was unbelievable. He went in there against a beast (Abdul Razak Alhassan). When you put on such a performance, it's good for the region, the people who live here love that," he said.
"It shows that we have been here for over a decade and they are starting to create some talent here. It will be really big here when a homegrown guy from Abu Dhabi or Dubai starts to fight and win and can possibly be a world champion someday. That's when you really see this region go off."
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com