Fight Island's location revealed as Abu Dhabi, will host 4 events in July
Fight Island's location has finally been revealed: Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UFC president Dana White announced Tuesday on ESPN's "First Take."
The promotion will hold four events on the island in the United Arab Emirates in July, starting with UFC 251 on July 11, White said.
The other three events will be Fight Nights and will take place July 15, 18, and 25.
To accommodate public health guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic, Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism will create a "safety zone" within Yas Island that will include an arena, hotel, training facilities, and dining establishments, according to a UFC press release.
The safety zone will only be open to fighters, coaches, UFC staff, event personnel, and Yas Island employees who will operate the facilities.
White told TMZ that the UFC has "secured" its own airline to fly athletes and coaches to Yas Island.
UFC 251 will feature three title fights: Kamaru Usman versus Gilbert Burns at welterweight, a rematch between featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, and Petr Yan against Jose Aldo for the vacant bantamweight belt.
No matchups have been finalized for the other three cards.
The UFC has been to Abu Dhabi three times in the past, most recently in September 2019 for UFC 242, which featured a lightweight title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier.
Yas Island is a popular leisure and entertainment destination in Abu Dhabi.