In March, when COVID-19 was peaking rapidly, nobody could have ever imagined a sport like MMA happening for at least a year. But the world hailed UFC supremo Dana White for pulling off a sporting event in style. Prior to the event actually coming to life, the UFC President faced high criticism pertaining to his fighters’ and employee safety.
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With MMA being a full-contact sport, there was every possibility in the world about fighters getting severely affected by the pandemic.
UFC 256 will be the company’s whopping 42nd show during the pandemic, including the Contender Series. The UFC said it has administered over 26,300 tests to 1,470 athletes, trainers, staff, and another workforce, including 164 fighters from 40 countries. It reported 210 positives, a rate of just 0.8%. The company created a bio bubble to secure the fighters, coaches, and other personnel.
White stayed true to his words, and the UFC pulled off its first event of the pandemic in May. It was UFC 249 which saw blockbuster PPV buy rate’s and everyone appreciated the UFC President. He credited his untiring staff, fighters, their teams, and many more individuals involved.
“This is the No. 1 accomplishment of my career because this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. When people have left before, they were able to get another job and do other things. This time they couldn’t. If we had furloughed them or broken contracts, people would be hurting,” said Dana White.
UFC incurred an expense of $17 million already on COVID-related charges. It has lost around $100 million in gate receipts by not allowing fans. Dana White is firm on not allowing fans inside arenas until the pandemic moves off completely.
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Dana White creates UFC Fight Island
As the pandemic progressed, it got arduous to bring in fighters from all over the world to the USA and let them compete straight away. Dana White came up with an astonishing solution to this. In collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Government, he built a dedicated Fight Island for the utmost safe conduct of fights.
This Fight Island features lush hotels, theme parks, training facilities, and much more for providing any fighter an enriching and guarded experience. The venue has hosted countless events by now and proved to be one of the safest places to conduct a combat sports event.
While many sports organizations have cited the pandemic as a reason to call off events, Dana White has set an exhilarating example by conducting MMA events throughout.
Do you feel this is White’s greatest accomplishment?
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