D. White at a UFC press conference. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube UFC
Moments after announcing the return of Ultimate activities on May 9, the company's president, Dana White, stated that his team remains firm in adapting 'Ilha da Luta'. In a live conversation on his Instagram account, the 'big boss' stated that the organization will once again hold international events by June.
“The 'Ilha da Luta' should be operational in June. This way, I will be able to return to programming international events”, declared Dana.
White's concern about the island is due to the fact that many athletes are prevented from traveling due to the preventive measures adopted by the governments of several countries due to the coronavirus pandemic. With a private location, Ultimate would then have the possibility of promoting shows without interference from government agency documents.
Dana also spoke about the absence of the public in her upcoming shows. The president informed that the return of a show with spectators present is not on his list of priorities at the moment. The intention is to hold the fights and for people to be able to enjoy the shows from their homes.
“I'm not in a rush to bring fans back to the arenas. I know we can hold the events safely without the public”, he concluded.
In addition to the announcement of UFC 249, Ultimate also confirmed the dates of May 13th and 16th as fight days. In this way, the company will innovate and promote three shows in one week.
