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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Martin Domin

Coronavirus: UFC to host fights on private island during Covid-19 pandemic

The UFC are planning to host fights on a private island during the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid-19, which has caused over 70,000 deaths globally and infected 1.27 million people, has brought sports around the world to a standstill.

But the UFC are planning to continue with events behind closed doors, reports The Mirror.

The organisation, which was forced to postpone three events, will resume its calendar with Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 on April 18 and White said he had also found a new venue for that event after the Barclays Center in New York was ruled out.

"I locked this venue up for two months," White told TMZ Sports. "I have this venue for two months, and I'm setting up shop here. We're going to be pumping out fights every week."

With countries locking down borders and tightening travel restrictions, White said he had a way to get his stable of non-U.S. based fighters back in action.

(SIPA USA/PA Images)

"I'm also a day or two away from securing a private island ... we're getting the infrastructure put in now, so I'm going to start doing the international fights, too," he added.

"I won't be able to get all of the international fighters into the U.S. so I'm going to start flying them off into the island and do international fights there.

"As of April 18, the UFC is back up and running."

(USA TODAY Sports)

White said that he planned to put on fights every week and that all fighters, support staff as well as UFC crew would be tested for the virus regularly.

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was scheduled to meet Ferguson at UFC 249 but he said last week the fight was off as he is in quarantine in Russia.

Ferguson will now take on fellow American Gaethje for the interim 155lb belt.

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