UFC’s “Fight Island” didn’t just appear overnight. The infrastructure of the 10-mile zone on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi took months to build, making it one of the most interesting projects the leading MMA promotion has ever worked on.
In preparation for the debut of “Fight Island,” which goes down later tonight (Sat., July 11, 2020) at UFC 251 live on ESPN+ PPV from Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, the organization has released the first behind-the-scenes look at how the entire thing was pulled off. From building the complex that will host live events to the intricate COVID-19 testing protocol, there has been a lot that has gone into the planning of “Fight Island.”
Check out the above video player for the first episode of “The Making of UFC Fight Island.”
Whatever the promotion has done over the past three months to make this surreal “Fight Island” venture a reality seems to be working quite well. After booking Jorge Masvidal to fill in on short notice for Gilbert Burns in a welterweight title fight against current champion Kamaru Usman, UFC 251 is already trending on the level of a Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov title fight. Having two other title fights on the UFC 251 main card doesn’t hurt either.
While fighters continue to test positive for COVID-19 prior to flying out for their respective “Fight Island” bouts, the system is working. UFC is stopping infected athletes from entering “Fight Island’s” safe zone while doing everything in its power to keep the fights and events as interesting as possible.
It’s been extremely difficult and expensive for UFC to keep the ball rolling, but we are just hours away from the debut of “Fight Island” and it feels pretty good.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 251 fight card this weekend RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+“Prelims” that are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the ESPN portion at 8 p.m. before the PPV main card start time on ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 251: “Usman vs. Masvidal” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.