Dana White appears to be inspired by a Bruce Lee classic.
So Dana White is forcing the show to go on. While the rest of the world is practicing social distancing, the UFC president is ensuring UFC 249 is still on. Despite the major risks that both fighters and staff could face, Dana White is intent on getting back to work.
With the global health crisis at a dire point, having UFC 249 move forward, without one of it’s original headliners no less, seems illogical. We all want to get back to normal. We all are feeling stir crazy and getting cabin fever. A fight card in the middle of quarantine can certainly break up the monotony. But the consequences could be far more dire than the UFC president is willing to acknowledge.
To make matters even more intense, it seems that Dana White is taking the Enter the Dragon approach to UFC 249. The UFC president is eyeing a private island to hold the event. He also stated that fighters would have no idea where they were going until they got there.
Uh, okay…
Without hyperbole that is straight from the plot of Enter the Dragon, the Bruce Lee film where competitors do battle on a hidden island for a secret martial arts tournament. It not only inspired the popular video game series Mortal Kombat, but a host of other martial arts films and media as well. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.
Even fans, fighters, and coaches are getting in on the fun.
While many fans will be happy to see some fisticuffs and see Tony Ferguson battle Justin Gaethje for the interim UFC lightweight belt, it’s a shame that Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t be able to do battle with his heated rival. If UFC 249 needed to go on, why couldn’t another fight fill in for the headliner and have Khabib fight Tony Ferguson at a later date? Obviously it appears we’ll never know why.
If Tony Ferguson ends up losing it makes matters even more tragic. It means losing a fight that has been years in the making when it could have been avoided. We won’t learn who the best lightweight on the planet is because he’s currently trapped in Russia. Ultimately we could have had a Francis Ngannou vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik that would have satisfied fan’s blood lust.
But nevertheless, the show is going on. Might as well stop complaining and just enjoy the ride.
What do you think of UFC 249 moving to a private island?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
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