Dana White says his mysterious 'Fight Island' will be ready in a month, and a UFC champion has already said she'd happily live there
- Dana White's top-secret island will be ready to stage UFC fights from the middle of May, ESPN reported.
- The UFC president White had told ESPN last week that he was finalizing a deal for a private island, and that the island was big enough to have athletes train there full-time before they do battle.
- "'Fight Island' is going to happen," he said.
- White will not have far to look to find volunteer fighters. The women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko said she wouldn't just fight there, she'd like to live there, too.
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Dana White's mysterious "Fight Island" will apparently be ready to stage events in a month, and one UFC champion has already said she'd happily live there.
The UFC president White told ESPN that he was finalizing a deal to lease a top-secret island which could host international events away from governmental restrictions designed to suppress the coronavirus from spreading.
"'Fight Island' is going to happen," he said last week.
White even told ESPN that the infrastructure was being built and that there would be facilities which his UFC athletes could use to train and prepare for battle.
Though it is unclear where the private island is, ESPN reported Tuesday that it would be open for business "in a month."
It would exist separately to a domestic show White is planning on May 9, which could take place in Florida.
Tony Ferguson has already agreed to compete on May 9, ESPN said, and will fight Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title.
And though the May 9 event would feature many fights, including two other championship bouts, it is the prospect of the island which has captured the attention of one championship-level athlete.
Valentina Shevchenko wants to live on 'Fight Island'
White will not have to look far to find athletes desperate to live, train, and compete on "Fight Island."
Valentina Shevchenko, a 32-year-old Russian who has held the UFC women's flyweight championship since 2018, has already volunteered to go there — wherever there is.
"I want to fight on the island, I want to train there, [and] I want to live there!" Shevchenko told MMA Fighting. "I want to spend my time there, definitely.
"I love to do my training camps in places that are more suited for the climate, and if I have to fight on the island, why can I not train there? It would probably be great to have a training camp there and then fight there, and then stay a little bit of extra time after to recover. How does that sound? For me, it sounds great!"
Shevchenko even said her next fight could be on the island. "If this is a possibility, I would be more than glad to do the fight there," she said.
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