Dana White: UFC 261 receives whole group in Jacksonville, Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal 2 headlines

UFC President Dana White on Monday declared the return of supporters with no potential limitations to reside events beginning with UFC 261 future month in Jacksonville, Fla.

In a movie, White stated the UFC will return to the 15,000-seat VyStar Veteran’s Memorial Arena on April 24, significantly less than just one year soon after a trio of exhibits that marked the promotion’s return to reside occasion output amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A trio of title fights is prepared for the party a welterweight title rematch amongst champ Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal a flyweight title fight in between champ Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade and a strawweight title battle between champ Zhang Weili and ex-champ Rose Namajunas.

A ask for for remark to the Florida Office of Company and Experienced Regulation, which oversees the state’s boxing fee, was not right away returned.

White teased fans’ return earlier this thirty day period when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott rolled back pandemic restrictions on capacity that retained the promotion from keeping an celebration in the point out. Despite the fact that the state’s athletic commission signaled its willingness to control an event, White mentioned nearby governors have been against it and pulled back from a strategy to shift UFC 260 to the Lone Star State.

As an end to the pandemic has appeared in arrive at with will increase in vaccine distribution, and governments acquiring modified or rolled back constraints on crowds of people today collecting, the advertising has inched toward web hosting dwell crowds. With screening beforehand, a limited range of fans were able to attend UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi.

White has reported as before long as the marketing was in a position to host followers, he would shift ahead with reside activities. It’s unidentified at this time what basic safety protocols the promotion will set in spot for UFC 261, however functions in excess of the past yr have highlighted a sturdy testing and quarantining approach. Various fighters have still examined optimistic for the virus prior to events, and some have even been dominated out on the same day. In response, the marketing has tightened security restrictions.