UFC President Dana White claims he's 'securing a private island' to continue fights


Dana White is fighting to keep holding UFC events even amid the global coronavirus pandemic. The plan, White claims? Move them to a private island.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship president revealed his bizarre idea to TMZ this week, claiming he's "a day or two away from securing a private island," as UFC plans to keep "pumping out fights every week" but "I won't be able to get international fighters, all of them, into the U.S."
UFC 249, scheduled for April 18, couldn't move forward at its New York location amid the coronavirus pandemic, and three UFC shows have been canceled due to the coronavirus. But UFC officials have been looking for a new venue to still put on UFC 249, and ESPN reports the "promotion believes it is very close to securing" one.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After April 18, UFC will be "getting back into our regular schedule," White told ESPN. The UFC boss in this ESPN interview also made the reporter literally laugh out loud when he declared, "I've also secured an island. I've got an island." Asked how fighters will get to this mysterious island location, he revealed they'll be flown in without actually knowing where they're going.
"We're going to get the fighters somewhere, and we're going to bring them to this location," White told ESPN. "They won't know where they're headed to."
TMZ perhaps best summed up the series of revelations from White in its story by writing, "YES, THIS IS REAL!!!"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?
Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants