We are a little under two weeks away from UFC 251: “Usman vs Burns,” the first “Fight Island” event that is set to go down on July 11, 2020 on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Soon after the dust settles from that pay-per-view (PPV) card — which will will feature a trio of title fights — the promotion will come right back with events on July 15, July 18 and then on July 25.
And while some of you were likely expecting (or maybe even hoping for) a simple setup of an Octagon on the beach (sort of like this), it’s a bit more complex than that. Indeed the promotion spared no expense on the infrastructure that will go into pulling off the tremendous feat in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UFC president Dana White recently posted a couple of videos on social media giving us sneak peak of all the manpower, material and money that goes into taking over an Island for an entire month of fights.
Click play in the embedded video player above to see part 1, and part 2 is down below for your viewing pleasure:
UFC Fight Island Part 2!! I can’t wait to get there. #YasIsland #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/kDrwv2BzQG
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 30, 2020
Recently, the promotion released is strict safety protocols and guidelines for all fighters, staff, camps and even the media to follow while on the island to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Once the final event wraps, the promotion will head back to Las Vegas for another full slate of events starting with the “Holm vs Aldana” Fight Night card on Aug. 1. But just in case we experience more lockdowns across the globe due to COVID-19, the promotion could very well make another trip to “Fight Island” later in the year.
For now click here to see the entire UFC 251: “Usman vs Burns” fight card, and click here to see the rest of the fights lined up for the entire month of July.