UFC boss Dana White has ambitious plans for International Fight Week 2021 - which will feature Conor McGregor's next clash in Abu Dhabi.
McGregor takes on Dustin Poirier on January 23 and White wants the fight to be held in front of fans at the new Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi as McGregor, 32, faces off against an opponent he beat back in 2014 in Las Vegas.
The UFC's annual Fight Week usually takes place during the summer in Vegas but this year White plans for it to be held in Abu Dhabi.
“I’m looking to make it International Fight Week,” White said.
“The new Etihad Arena will be open, and that thing was designed with us in mind. Concerts, pool parties, all kinds of cool stuff. And, yes, I hope to bring fans back.
"So imagine this, all the stuff that went on, all the things that people have seen all over the world with Fight Island, now you’ll finally get the opportunity to come there and be a part of it … That’s what I’m shooting for.
“What I would love to do is we’ll get there, and do a Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday fights,” White added.
“So we’ll do three fights in a week, pool parties, concerts and all kinds of fun stuff … We go out there and kill it. It’ll be good to have fans.”
The UFC was one of the sporting organisations that resumed action quickly amid the pandemic over the summer - with stringent testing measures in place for behind-closed-doors scraps on the company's 'Fight Island' in Abu Dhabi.
UFC President White added: “I’m ready for some fights with fans. I’m ready to go to a live concert.
“I’m ready to have some parties. I’m gonna go to all this s***. I want to mingle with the fans again. I want the fans back.
"We’ve figured this whole thing out up to now. We’ll figure out how to do this safely and pull this thing off in Abu Dhabi.”
