UFC President Dana White has repeatedly stated that “Fight Island” was coming, and we finally have a date and a location. Fight Island is in the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi, and the location will be hosting several UFC events in July.
There are four different events scheduled for Fight Island in July with UFC 251 kicking off the action. White has once again put together a terrific fight card for the UFC 251 event, and fans are anxious to see what Fight Island is all about.
Yas Island in Abu Dhabi is the exact location where White will be hosting international fighting events. White needed a location that could host fights between international competitors, and Abu Dhabi has previously been used as a location by the UFC.
UFC 251 is set to take place on July 11, and three other events will take place on the island later in the month. White is planning on creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the fighters to bring in the biggest and best names.
UFC 242 was held in Abu Dhabi back in September 2019, and the event went extremely well, prompting White to look to this country for Fight Island. Khabib Nurmagomodev defeated Dustin Poirier and won the headline fight by submission in UFC 242.
Odds Released for UFC 251
Now that White has made UFC 251 official, FanDuel Sportsbook has already released odds for a few of the biggest fights on the card. UFC is one of the biggest sports that has kept sportsbooks up and running during the pandemic.
A welterweight title bout will be the headlining event at UFC 251, and the fight will feature Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. Usman is a heavy favorite in this bout and is listed at -205 at FanDuel. Burns is the big underdog, being listed at +166 right now.
There is also a featherweight title rematch on the bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Volkanovski won the first matchup at UFC 245 and is the favorite again. DraftKings has Volkanovski listed at -182 while Holloway is listed at +148.
Petr Yan is a whopping favorite over Jose Aldo in a bantamweight title match. Yan is listed at -230, and Aldo is currently listed at +184.
McGregor Announces Retirement
Even though the UFC continues to host live events through the coronavirus pandemic, they are doing it without one of their biggest fights. Conor McGregor had been waiting for a chance to fight, but he has grown impatient.
McGregor announced his retirement over the weekend, and it sounds like he is planning to step away for good. White disputed McGregor’s claims that he was not given a chance to fight by announcing that he was offered a fight at UFC 249 but declined the invitation.
UFC 249 was supposed to feature a lightweight title bout between Nurmagomodev and Tony Ferguson, but Khabib was forced to be replaced. Justin Gaethje was chosen as a replacement, and he ended up pulling off a massive upset. McGregor was reportedly offered the chance to face Ferguson but declined.
Along with the announcement of Fight Island, White also announced that the trilogy fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier will take place on Aug. 15. Miocic is currently listed as a slight favorite at some sportsbooks, but FanDuel Sportsbook has both fighters listed at -110.
A location for this fight has yet to be announced, but it will not be taking place on Fight Island. This will likely be the final time that the two heavyweight legends square off.
