Fight Island

Fight Island is a location where some UFC events are held during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fight Island
Coordinates

The idea to hold fights on an island came from Dana White, the president of the UFC, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 9 June 2020, White confirmed that Fight Island would be taking place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.[1][2][3] The location allows international fighters to get around some travel restrictions.[4] Events take place at Flash Forum without an audience.[5][6] The fighters stay in a hotel, but are required to stay in their room until they have passed COVID-19 testing.[7]

John Oliver suggested on Last Week Tonight that the name "Fight Island" was inspired by a suggestion made by a TMZ reporter one week before the trademark was filed.[8] Shortly after Oliver had suggested various alternative names for the island including "UF-Sea"[9] Zuffa registered "UFSEA" as a trademark.[10]

Features

While some media portrayed Fight Island as a kind of lawless place, comparing it to movies like Enter the Dragon ,[2] Yas Island is actually a tourist destination that features multiple theme parks, hotels, malls, a golf course and an airport.[7][4]

Events
See also: List of UFC events
Event Date Ref.
UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal Jul 12, 2020 [11]
UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige Jul 16, 2020 [12]
UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 Jul 19, 2020 [13]
UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till Jul 26, 2020 [14]
UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa Sep 27, 2020 [15]
UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana Oct 4, 2020 [16]
UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen Oct 11, 2020 [17]
UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie Oct 18, 2020 [18]
UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje Oct 24, 2020 [19]
UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar Jan 16, 2021 [20]
UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny Jan 20, 2021 [21]
UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 Jan 24, 2021 [22]

See also

References
  1. "UFC pakt uit met 'Fight Island' in Abu Dhabi: knokken op het strand" [UFC brings the goods with ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi: duking it out on the beach]. Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 2020-06-10.
  2. Ben Collins (2020-07-10). "UFC 251: 'Beautiful, surreal, insane' - what's Fight Island really like?". BBC Sport. I had Enter The Dragon on video. I used to think 'oh yeah, look at them, as if'. And now it's happening.
  3. ESPN (2020-06-09). "Dana White says Fight Island is in Abu Dhabi & reveals megacard for UFC 251, First Take". UFC president Dana White joins First Take and announces that Fight Island will be on Yas Island in Abu Dahbi and will host four upcoming fights including UFC 251 on July 11.
  4. Kevin Webb (2020-07-25). "UFC Fight Island will deliver 4 events from a private 'bubble' in the United Arab Emirates — here's the full schedule and how to watch".
  5. Kees van Dalsem (2020-10-25). "Stefan Struve komt niet in zijn ritme op 'Fight Island' van de UFC. Beverwijker verliest in Abu Dhabi in eerste ronde van Australiër Tai Tuivasa" [Stefan Struve couldn't get into the groove on the ’Fight Island’ of the UFC. The inhabitant of Beverwijk lost the first round in Abu Dhabi to Australian Tai Tuivasa]. Noordhollands Dagblad. Struve miste alleen het publiek; de wedstrijden waren in een verder leeg Flash Forum.
  6. "Alles wat je moet weten over UFC 'Fight Island' in Abu Dhabi" [Everything you need to know about UFC 'Fight Island' in Abu Dhabi]. NU.nl. 2020-07-11. Op 11, 15, 18 en 25 juli worden er (zonder fans) vechtavonden georganiseerd op Yas Island in Abu Dhabi
  7. Brent Brookhouse (2020-09-23). "UFC Fight Island: Location, dates, testing protocols and everything to know about international fight plans".
  8. Last Week Tonight. HBO. 2020-05-31. Event occurs at 27:05. He only filed for the Fight Island trademark a week after a TMZ reporter suggested to him that he call it that.
  9. Cassandra Negley (2020-05-18). "John Oliver takes aim at UFC's 'Fight Island'; Dana White calls it 'selective facts'". Yahoo Sports.
  10. "UFSEA". 2020-05-19. Archived from the original on 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2020-12-14. Serial Number: 88924037, filing Date: May 19, 2020, Owner Name: Zuffa, LLC Owner Address: 6650 South Torrey Pines Drive Las Vegas, NEVADA UNITED STATES 89118
  11. "UFC 251: Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman make weight for title fight". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  12. Dawson, Alan (2020-07-15). "The Kattar vs. Ige main event for the UFC's next 'Fight Island' card is so good it could be the Fight of the Year, an analyst said". businessinsideraustralia. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  13. Alan Dawson. "An MMA veteran has one last shot at the UFC title but fights a guy who has already KO'd him once, and is determined to do it again". Insider. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  14. Andreas Hale (2020-07-25). "What time is UFC Fight Night? Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till TV channel, live stream schedule, odds". dazn.com. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
  15. Marc Williams (2020-09-14). "UFC schedule 2020: Every upcoming event including Israel Adesanya's UFC 253 fight in Abu Dhabi and Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje". talksport.com. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  16. Marc Williams (2020-09-14). "UFC schedule 2020: Every upcoming event including Israel Adesanya's UFC 253 fight in Abu Dhabi and Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje". talksport.com. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  17. Marc Williams (2020-09-14). "UFC schedule 2020: Every upcoming event including Israel Adesanya's UFC 253 fight in Abu Dhabi and Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje". talksport.com. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  18. Marc Williams (2020-09-14). "UFC schedule 2020: Every upcoming event including Israel Adesanya's UFC 253 fight in Abu Dhabi and Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje". talksport.com. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  19. Marc Williams (2020-09-14). "UFC schedule 2020: Every upcoming event including Israel Adesanya's UFC 253 fight in Abu Dhabi and Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje". talksport.com. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  20. Mike Bohn (2021-01-17). "UFC on ABC 1 post-event facts: Max Holloway's masterclass shatters all striking records". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  21. Jeff Fox (2021-01-20). "UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs Magny fighter salaries, incentive pay & attendance". thesportsdaily.com. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  22. Staff (2021-01-24). "UFC 257 - Conor McGregor KO at the hands of Dustin Poirier leaves lightweight division in limbo". eurosport.com. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
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