The coronavirus pandemic has caused a plethora of issues for MMA promotions all over the world and the UFC was definitely affected by the pandemic.
It has now been over a month since the UFC returned to action and UFC President Dana White does say the promotion may bounce between Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi to continue running events during the pandemic.
“We’re going to be going back-and-forth to Abu Dhabi until the world comes back,” White said during the UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov media scrum (via Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting). “This is an international business, and most of our fighters are international. We have to put on so many international fights, or I’ll end up smoking all the U.S. talent like that and we wouldn’t be able to put on any events. We’re going to be going back-and-forth to Abu Dhabi I’m assuming for a very long time.”
Outside of Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, Florida and Brazil have been the only other places that have been a home for UFC events during the pandemic.
Fight Island in Abu Dhabi opens up next month and White says everybody heading there will get tested for the coronavirus.
“We’re making sure that everybody that goes over to ‘Fight Island’ is negative,” he said. "We’re gonna make sure everybody’s tested and tested and tested and tested.”
Thus far, only three fighters (Lyman Good, Ronaldo Souza and Billy Quarantillo) that are under a UFC deal have tested positive for the coronavirus.
