Inside UFC 251’s amazing Fight Island with Octagon on the beach as Masvidal and Usman jet out to UAE
THE UFC have released inside pictures of Fight Island ahead of its debut this weekend.
Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman flew out to the Middle East ahead of their UFC 251 headliner.
And when they arrived, they would have taken a Covid-19 test, quarantine in a hotel for 24 hours and should they pass they are free to train and start their weight cut.
They have the option to work out on a beach after an octagon was situated on the sand.
An arena has also been built for fights to be held behind closed doors, much like with the UFC’s previous events in Florida and Las Vegas.
Masvidal and Usman both arrived in Abu Dhabi yesterday after flying in from Las Vegas, where they passed coronavirus tests.
The fight was only agreed at the start of the week following last-gasp talks as Gilbert Burns was ruled out after testing positive for coronavirus.
Burns had been given the fight after Masvidal initially failed to agree terms to challenge for the title after a pay row.
But the UFC were able to come to an agreement with the welterweight fan-favourite, salvaging their main event.
On the undercard Alexander Volkanovski defends his featherweight title in an immediate rematch with Max Holloway.
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And to complete a hat-trick of title fights Jose Aldo will face Petr Yan for the vacant bantamweight belt which was dropped by Henry Cejudo after his shock retirement.
The UFC will stage three more Fight Night events after this weekend’s pay-per-view show.
Brit Darren Till closes out the four-week fighting extravaganza as he headlines against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.