Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White did a special “Ask Me Anything” session on Wednesday night via Reddit, and answered the usual slew of dopey questions from mixed martial arts (MMA) fans, along with one or two serious inquiries about the future of combat sports.
MMA Junkie has the dialogue:
“How confident are you that Khabib and Tony will fight at some point this year?” White was asked by a commenter.
“Not very.” White said, following up with, “I’m afraid of what will happen next if we try to make that happen again.”
Can’t say I blame him.
The promotion has tried to book this lightweight contest a dozen times over the years, including a recent attempt for the UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) main event in Brooklyn, New York, but the coronavirus shut down the world of professional sports.
Not all is lost!
White did promise the return of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), which previously aired on Spike TV and FOX Sports 1. No exact timeline was given for what will likely be an ESPN or ESPN+ broadcast, but fight fans can expect the program to resurface “soon.”
I prefer White’s Tuesday Night “Contender Series,” which gives you great fights without all of the reality show bullshit, but I guess enough folks watch it to warrant another go-round.
Maybe it can air live from “Fight Island.”