Dana White Updates UFC 249, Outlines Drive To Keep The Show On
iving criticism from several prominent members of the MMA community and beyond, Dana White has stayed the course as far as getting Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson into the cage is concerned.
Whether you believe the fight is cursed or not, few could have prepared for a turn of events quite like the situation we find ourselves in now.
And while, for the most part, the world has accepted the measures that need to be taken to combat this ongoing crisis, the UFC - and, in particular, Dana White - have seen the opportunity to make themselves the only show in town.
With UFC 249 now just three weeks away, the world's premier mixed martial arts promotion seem completely set on making the event happen - no matter what anyone thinks and White, of course, has been quick to go on the offense whenever anyone questions his decision.
Speaking during a recent appearance on Hotboxing With Mike Tyson, the UFC president explained how he has been navigating his way through the several roadblocks that have arisen due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"It’s nuts, but I’m going to try and pull off Tony v Khabib on April 18 and try and get some normality back in this country
"So every day that I work on this thing, I get another curveball thrown at me when I wake up. So every time we plan something, it falls apart — gotta re-do it and re-do it. So I have four or five locations right now and we’re just getting this deal done. And then we’re going to figure out who we can get in, who we can’t, what we can do, and we’re going to build a card around it."
White has, of course, never been one to mince words when it comes to his stance on, well, anything - and even now, in the face of a global pandemic, he remains as true to himself as ever.
In direct opposition to the internationally-held attitude towards COVID-19, White has not been slow to make his feelings known about the ongoing lockdown - with his promotion now standing as one of the very few sporting organisations to continue to hold competition.
"It’s f--king crazy man. Everybody is running and hiding. I’m one of those guys that would rather get out there and find solutions. How do we figure this out? How do we beat this thing? Listen, if you are somebody that is a high risk, you should probably stay away and stay quarantined for a while, but what happens when flu season comes again next year? What’s gonna happen then? I think in a year or two, we’re gonna go ‘holy sh-t,’ we shut down the whole world for this thing.
“I’m looking at the positive side, just spending time with my family, hanging out at my house and doing things that I don’t normally get to do. I've been working out like crazy. I’m gonna come out of this thing better than I went in. I’ve been a good boy. I’ve been doing what I’ve been told to do. I’ve been locked in my house. Everybody is complying, so we’ll see how this thing plays out.”
It's hard to know exactly how this one is going to play out. As things stand, the intention on the part of the UFC is to make this event a reality - whether that means holding it in the United States or beyond.
And while the days are certainly passing by quickly ahead of April 18, one would have to imagine that more clarification will be given over the course of the coming week or two.
