Dana White: UFC to Hold May 23 Fight Night Event in Las Vegas
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White told Sports Illustrated in a recent interview that UFC Fight Night 173 will take place in Las Vegas. The May 23 card, which will likely be headlined by a welterweight bout between Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns, did not previously have a venue. The promotion will hold cards at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 9, 13 and 16.
“While everybody was f—-ing lying out by the pool, hanging out and
doing whatever the f—k they're doing in quarantine, we were in here
f—-ing grinding, man,” White said. “Fighting crazy wars every day
to put on this first event. We pulled it off. We were gonna be able
to hold this thing earlier, and they asked us to stand down. … Now
we're going Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday.
“And I don't think I've told anybody this yet: We're gonna come back to Vegas and put on a fight May 23.”
In recent weeks, White has articulated plans to hold numerous future events at the UFC Apex, which is located next to the promotion’s headquarters in Las Vegas. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has not addressed the status of combat sports in the state after canceling a meeting scheduled for late March. White is likely counting on Nevada relaxing social distancing restrictions enough to allow for UFC events at its facility.
White didn’t offer further details on his plans for getting back into Las Vegas, but he reiterated that safety will be emphasized every step of the way with each coming event. The promotion recently sent out an email detailing plans for COVID-19 testing ahead of Saturday’s UFC 249 card.
“I don't wanna die. I don’t have a f—-ing death wish. I'm not out there trying to kill myself,” White said. “And I don't want to kill any of my employees or their families. It's not like we're running around with no plan. The thing is: Let's find solutions. How do we get back as close to normal as we could possibly get? A 15,000- or 20,000-seat arena with no fans isn't normal. A lot of things aren't normal going into this event. But we're trying to figure out how to make it as safe as possible.
“Let me put it this way: We're gonna go so overboard making sure everybody is healthy and safe that I just don't see how we can possibly f—k this up. … My fighters and my employees have been told: If you're not comfortable coming back to work, you don't have to. It's not like we're in some dire financial situation, like that's why I'm pushing this.”
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