Report: No Crowds For UFC 254, Only ‘Small Handful Of Invitees’
It turns out there won’t be any crowds for the UFC 254 pay-per-view event this weekend.
UFC 254 takes place Saturday in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, as Khabib Nurmagomedov takes on Justin Gaethje in a highly-anticipated lightweight title unification fight in the event headliner.
And it was recently revealed by Department of Culture and Tourism destination marketing director Saeed Rashed Al Saeed that although not approved, there was a plan in place to get fans in attendance for the event.
“We are currently studying how to bring fans into UFC 254,” Al Saeed said. “Right now we’re going through how to segregate fans from people inside the bubble but still get them inside the space in the safe manner.
“If everything goes to plan we’ll be announcing this soon. It’s not confirmed yet but the plan is in place but it needs to be endorsed. I’m optimistic but health and safety cannot be compromised. That is our priority, it will not happen unless it is fool proof.”
Unfortunately, it looks like it wasn’t approved in the end.
That said, there will be a handful of invitees who will get the opportunity to attend the event as per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
“Update on UFC 254: No fans, unfortunately. A plan that would have allowed additional fans in the building and put tickets on sale was not approved in time. There will be a small handful of invitees, but atmosphere will essentially be the same as every other event, I’m told.”
While many prefer for fans to be in attendance as it adds to the atmosphere, there are many who also prefer UFC events without fans as well as there is no booing and you really get to hear the sound of the strikes during a fight.
Do you prefer UFC events with or without fans?
