Dana White Is Confident ‘Expensive’ May 9 Event Will Go Ahead
Dana White says his planned event on May 9 will go ahead but will be one of the most costly in company history.
The UFC President has been battling day and night to find a way to hold events during the coronavirus pandemic. He was ready to go this weekend with UFC 249 before government intervention meant his partners asked him to postpone the event set to take place in California.
Speaking to Kevin Harvick on Sirius XM White said he will continue to push ahead with events despite suffering setbacks.
“I was supposed to go this Saturday at Tachi Palace in northern California. I got it done. We could go. I was asked to not do the event from my partners [at ESPN], who I respect, so I did it. I gave them the weekend off and I’m actually at the office right now. We’re back in here. We’re working. I have a date now for May 9.”
Due to the current climate putting on a card will be much more costly than usual but White is determined to do so and will spend big money to make it happen.
“Listen I’m not stopping. I have this thing figured out. The reality is can it be done? Yes, it can be done,” he said. “It’s just very expensive. It’s very expensive and I’m willing to spend the money to do it.”
White says part of the motivation to host events during the lockdown is to give his fighters and employees the chance to earn some much needed cash, he said.
“I don’t sit around and wait for somebody to tell me it’s time to do this, it’s time to do that. You’ve got to look ahead at what’s happening out there. My commitment is to my employees and to my fighters. I don’t want [to] lay anybody off and I don’t want fighters sitting around for a year not being able to make money but I want everybody to be safe.
“Instead of hiding from this thing, how do you get out there and figure out how to function yet be safe about it. My biggest problem with this whole thing is misinformation. You read one thing here, you read something different over here. Nobody really knows what’s going on. It’s been a very strange thing to deal with.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)
Will Dana White be able to pull off an event on May 9?
