Dana White has a huge matchup in mind for the UFC’s “Fight Island.”
According to the UFC president, the promotion is eyeing a lightweight unification bout between champion Khabib Nurmagomedovand interim titleholder Justin Gaethje. The fight could potentially happen on “Fight Island” this summer, White told ESPN Chicago on Tuesday.
“I expect (Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje) to happen this summer,” White said, via ESPN. “I don’t know if it will be the first one, but it will be on ‘Fight Island,’ unless miraculously the world comes back together faster than I think it’s gonna.”
Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) was scheduled to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on April 18. However, due to travel restrictions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Nurmagomedov was stuck in Russia. That’s when Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) stepped in.
Gaethje and Ferguson were supposed to fight April 18 until that date was scrapped because of COVID-19 concerns. UFC 249 was rescheduled for this past Saturday, with Gaethje defeating Ferguson by fifth-round TKO.
As for “Fight Island,” there is no official launch date for operations. In various interviews, White has stated the UFC hopes to have the island functional by mid-June. No dates have been revealed yet for that timeline, with the latest publicly known event date targeted for June 6.
