UFC. A series of fights in Abu Dhabi in July. Sport

The UFC, the world’s largest professional mixed martial arts league, will host a series of fights on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi in July, boss Dana White announced on Tuesday to facilitate the participation of international fighters.

We are going to Yas Island to organize these fights, because the most difficult thing at the moment is to bring people from other parts of the world into the United States, White told ESPN, the broadcaster of his parties.

With US borders closed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, White has found refuge in the United Arab Emirates to allow international fighters to swell his plateaus.

READ ALSO: > PORTRAIT. Conor McGregor’s retirement: apprentice plumber turned world star in MMA

We are a truly global company, we are the only ones offering live sports right now. And if I continue to organize fights in the United States, I will exhaust my entire American pool, he said.

Four fight evenings will take place at Yas, christened Fight island, July 11, 15, 18 and 25, with several titles at stake, including that of the welterweight between the Nigerian defender Kamaru Usman and the Brazilian Gilbert Burns.

Participants will be accommodated in a secure bubble which will be open only to athletes, coaches, local and UFC staff, and will train in an octagon on a beach.

The UFC has already organized events in the United Arab Emirates, including one last September on the artificial island of Yas, which also hosts the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 GP.

After having to cancel several fights in the spring due to the pandemic, the league has managed to restart its activities by organizing private parties in Florida and then in Las Vegas in recent weeks.

– .