While some fans had expected something more like Gilligan’s Island, the UFC confirmed Tuesday that its much-ballyhooed Fight Island is Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island. ET) ET); Prelims (ESPN+ at 12 p.m. Both of their bouts proceeded at a catchweight and they were each fined 20% and 30% of their individual purses, which went to their opponents Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Karol Rosa. However, the promotion later announced on May 5 that it would officially postpone the realization of this event in Perth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians, "Where is UFC Fight Island? For more great sports stories ... The domain YasIslandFight.com is available for offers, lease or rent for your next Yas Island Fight marketing project. From there, Dana and … The idea of “Fight Island” originated when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the sporting world and left the UFC scrambling for a new location to host UFC 249, which was originally scheduled for April 18 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. [3] This event was the fourth UFC event held on Yas Island overall, succeeding UFC 242 in September 2019. UFC Fight Island returns to Abu Dhabi Yas Island Abu Dhabi amplifies readiness for global tourism revival. [20] After he passed his initial test, the new main event was confirmed. Welcome to For The Win's European Union Experience. PCR testing was also conducted every 72 hours. [3], The event would have marked the promotion's second visit to Perth, following UFC 221 in February 2018. However, Romanov was pulled from the event after testing positive for COVID-19 and replaced by promotional newcomer Maxim Grishin. That's a … However, contrary to all such wild ideas, Fight Island is Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island. [4] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed on April 9 (see section below). UFC Fight Island’s location is Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. UFC Fight Island 7 January 16, 2021 Yas Island, Abu Dhabi Main card (ABC/ESPN+ at 3 p.m. [18] However, it was announced on July 3 that Burns was pulled from the contest after he and his coach, Greg Jones, tested positive for COVID-19. The other UFC event on Yas Island was a Fight Night on April 11, 2014, headlined by heavyweight Roy Nelson's first-round knockout of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Over 2,500 UFC personnel and Yas Island employees will stay within the zone, with all local staff having been in quarantine for 14 days and had three negative tests. The site of UFC’s ‘Fight Island’ is astonishingly a real place [36][37], At the weigh-ins, Raulian Paiva and Vanessa Melo missed weight for their respective bouts. [6], While not officially announced by the organization, a UFC Featherweight Championship rematch between current champion Alexander Volkanovski and former champion Max Holloway was originally expected to headline the event on June 6. [14] The fights took place inside the du Forum — an indoor events arena. %link% The official UFC press release announcing Yas Island as the host of the upcoming Fight Island events referred to the whole scenario as "historic.". Yas Island… [5] In early June, it was confirmed that the event would instead take place in Abu Dhabi. [40], The event had a total fight time of 3 hours, 7 minutes and 27 seconds, surpassing the previous record holder UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi.[41]. Inside UFC 251 location in pictures", "Sources: UFC 251 generates around 1.3 million PPV buys, most since 2018", "UFC 'Fight Island' is ... Yas Island, Abu Dhabi", "Valentina Shevchenko vs. Joanne Calderwood title fight heads to UFC 251 in Perth, Australia", "UFC 249, upcoming events postponed due to coronavirus pandemic, Dana White promises 'Fight Island' will proceed", "UFC officially pulls plug on Perth's UFC 251 date", "Alex Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway rematch to headline UFC 251", "UFC 245 results: Alexander Volkanovski dethrones Max Holloway, captures UFC featherweight belt", "Alexander Volkanovski puts UFC title defense on ice amid coronavirus pandemic", "Champ Valentina Shevchenko meets Joanne Calderwood at UFC 251 in June", "Valentina Shevchenko injured; UFC 251 title fight vs. Joanne Calderwood on hold", "Dana White's COVID-19 plan: Two months of weekly fights at UFC 249 location, a private island, and Joe Rogan", "UFC's White: Secured private island for fights", "White: Fight Island is in UAE, will host UFC 251", "Abu Dhabi's 'Fight Island' could become a lot more familiar if COVID-19 shuts down Las Vegas again", "UFC 251: 'Beautiful, surreal, insane' - what's Fight Island really like? [8] Volkanovski indicated in late March that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he would postpone his title defense on the initial June 6 date. Paiva weighed in at 129 pounds, three pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. Yas Island is an entertainment destination and has been the home of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit since 2009. [15][16], Without fans in attendance, the promotion did not have to worry about scheduling the event for local primetime hours. [7] The pairing first met at UFC 245, where Volkanovski defeated Holloway via unanimous decision to capture the title. Who drafted the better NBA All-Star Game team: LeBron James or Kevin Durant? However, promotion officials elected to schedule the pairing for UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige four days later. ", "What we know and don't know about 'Fight Island, "Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns headlines UFC 251 on 'Fight Island' in Abu Dhabi", "Gilbert Burns tests positive for COVID-19, out of UFC 251 headliner vs. Kamaru Usman", "Jorge Masvidal steps in on six days' notice to fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 251", "Jorge Masvidal passes COVID-19 test; UFC makes Kamaru Usman title fight official", "Jose Aldo vs. Petr Yan bantamweight title fight set for UFC 251 on 'Fight Island, "Shocker: Henry Cejudo stops Dominick Cruz, then announces MMA retirement at UFC 249", "Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade rematch booked for UFC's July 11 card", "UFC 237 results – Jessica Andrade KO's Rose Namajunas in round 2, wins strawweight belt", "Rose Namajunas, Jessica Andrade agree to rematch at UFC 249 in Brooklyn", "Rose Namajunas pulls out of UFC 249 bout vs. Jessica Andrade", "Manager: Rose Namajunas withdrew from UFC 249 after COVID-19 deaths in family", "Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Ciryl Gane at UFC 251's IFW week event", "Ciryl Gane out of UFC 249 fight with Shamil Abdurakhimov", "Sergei Pavlovich encounters Ciryl Gane during the August 8 event", "Fight between Amanda Ribas and Paige VanZant is rescheduled for July 11 by UFC", "Report: Paige VanZant out, Randa Markos in against Amanda Ribas at UFC Brasilia", "Pedro Munhoz vs. Frankie Edgar moved to UFC event on July 15th", "Former WFCA champion Maxim Grishin makes UFC debut on July 11 at UFC 251", "Gym: Alexander Romanov was removed from UFC 251 due to positive COVID-19 tests", "UFC 251 weigh-in results: Kamaru Usman, Jorge Masvidal make weight, all title fights official", "UFC 251 bonuses: Rose Namajunas-Jessica Andrade war nets 'Fight of the Night' honors", "UFC in 2020: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids, and records", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=UFC_251&oldid=1009316943, Mixed martial arts in the United Arab Emirates, Sports events postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Articles with Dutch-language sources (nl), Articles with Portuguese-language sources (pt), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 49–46), Decision (unanimous) (29–26, 29–26, 29–26), Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–26), Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28), Decision (unanimous) (30–26, 30–26, 30–27), A women's strawweight rematch between former, This page was last edited on 27 February 2021, at 23:20. [17], A UFC Welterweight Championship bout between current champion Kamaru Usman (also The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians welterweight winner) and Gilbert Burns was expected to headline the event. UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 12, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The following fights were also rescheduled for this event, after being scrapped due to different reasons from their original bookings: A bantamweight bout between Pedro Munhoz and former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar was briefly linked to the event. No … [11], UFC president Dana White stated on April 7 that he was pursuing an international venue — described as a "private island" or "Fight Island" — to facilitate the hosting of events involving fighters impacted by U.S. travel restrictions. UFC fight island ’s nearby hotels are full of lavish entertainment and one of them is Crowne Plaza Yas Island. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) The Island is a few minutes from the city and is a major tourist destination spread out over 25 square km. It does not have communal areas and those entering the site must go through "mist tunnels" to disinfect themselves from surface bacteria. The UFC’s stints on Yas Island have been successful by every metric the promotion cares to measure. *follow @ForTheWin: https://www.twitter.com/forthewin However, the promotion later announced on May 5 that it would officially postpone the realization of this event in Perth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a popular leisure island and one of the top tourism projects in Abu Dhabi. purchasing an island just to hold UFC events, I kinda want my franchise QB to let me know if they see a UFO, LeBron James had a hilarious reason for why Utah Jazz players were last picked in All-Star draft. The designated area includes access to amenities such as hotels, restaurants and a training cage on the beach.