Dana White News

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2020

On Tuesday night, the New York Times reported that UFC 249, which has been without an official location for several weeks, will go down at the Tachi Palace Casino on tribal land in California. UFC President Dana White refuses to confirm that report, insisting that all that matters is that the card will be viewable on ESPN. “We’re going to be live from ESPN,” White told ESPN Get Up! host Mike Greenberg when asked where UFC 249 will occur. “It doesn’t matter where it is. First of all, no fans can come. You can’t come to the fight, you can’t buy a ticket. The only place to watch this in the United States is on ESPN and that’s the only thing that matters.

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2020

Dana White and the UFC will go ahead with the UFC 249 card despite the coronavirus pandemic. The event will go down at the Tachi Palace Casino on tribal land in California on April 18. Given the current global health crisis, the UFC will promote this event and any future pandemic-era shows while adhering to a list of important precautions. Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports obtained those precautions, and Bloody Elbow converted them into a nice, reader-friendly list.

Cole Shelton - April 7, 2020

It appears the UFC has found the location for UFC 249 and it will be on Tribal Land in California. Although Dana White said he would be securing a private island, UFC 249 will not be happening out at sea. Instead, according to a report from Jeff Sherwood and later confirmed by the New York Times, UFC 249 will take place at the Tachi Palace Casino Resort on Tribal Land in California. It will also serve as the location for the next several UFC events.

Adam Martin - April 7, 2020

UFC president Dana White confirmed that select media members will be invited to be a part of UFC 249 despite the restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. White announced Monday the full UFC 249 card, including an interim lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson at the top of the bill. Also on the card is a rematch between former women’s strawweight champions Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas, a heavyweight bout between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and a featherweight bout between Calvin Kattar and Jeremy Stephens. The location is still a secret.

Adam Martin - April 7, 2020

UFC president Dana White claims that the fighters competing at UFC 249 will be safer than fans sitting at home or going to the grocery store. White made UFC 249 official on Monday, booking 12 fights for the card including an interim lightweight title bout between Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson for the main event. The event will go on as planned despite the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world, though White has not yet released a location for the card, instead deciding to keep it a secret.

Adam Martin - April 7, 2020

UFC president Dana White explained why he’s keeping the location of UFC 249 a secret despite the event being less than two weeks away from happening. White announced the full card for UFC 249 on Monday, which includes a tremendous interim lightweight title bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje at the top of the card. However, while the UFC announced 12 fights that will take place at the event, one thing the promotion did not reveal was the location of the event.

Tom Taylor - April 7, 2020

UFC President Dana White isn’t sure what’s next for former two-division champ Conor McGregor, who is far and away the promotion’s biggest star. Things are quite chaotic at the top of the lightweight division at present, as undisputed champ Khabib Nurmagomedov is stuck in Russia due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions, and Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje are set to battle for the interim title in the short-notice main event of UFC 249 on April 18. It’s difficult to say where McGregor, the lightweight division’s biggest name and one of its top contenders, fits into this situation.

Natasha Hooper - April 7, 2020

Dana White has confirmed that Joe Rogan will in fact be a part of UFC 249. In a previous episode of the Joe Rogan podcast, the MMA commentator declared he would not work on the upcoming event. Due to fears of coronavirus contagion, he suggested they should host it from a closed and remote location, even somewhere such as an airplane hangar or film studio.

Christopher Taylor - April 6, 2020

Dana White has confirmed that the winner of UFC 249’s new main event between Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson will receive the next shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘The Eagle’ was originally slated to put his undisputed UFC lightweight world title on the line against Ferguson in the April 18 headliner. However, due to travel restrictions, the undefeated champion was forced to withdraw from the card while remaining in Russia.

Adam Martin - April 6, 2020

UFC president Dana White is working on securing a private island for upcoming UFC cards and also said fighters at UFC 249 will be tested for coronavirus. TMZ Sports reported on Monday night that White is close to locking up a private island to host upcoming UFC events. This would not include UFC 249 and UFC Nebraska, which are both tentatively scheduled to move to another location that hasn’t been announced. After the next two months of UFC cards are held in that mystery location, White plans on holding UFC events on a private island every week after that.

Tom Taylor - April 6, 2020

Tony Ferguson will officially battle Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. Both fighters have signed their contracts for the fight. The pair will collide for the interim lightweight title in the card’s main event. UFC President Dana White announced this news on Twitter on Monday.

Chris Taylor - April 5, 2020

Dana White took to Twitter this afternoon where he confirmed that Khabib Nurmagomedov is out of UFC 249, this while adding that the full fight card will be announced tomorrow. UFC 249 was originally slated to take place on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York. The event was expected to be headlined by a highly anticipated lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

Chris Taylor - April 4, 2020

Dana White was named in a lawsuit filed Friday that alleged the UFC President was victimized in a $200,000 sex-tape extortion. According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, White was named in the Clark County District Court suit filed against the UFC boss by the man who served time for the sensational crime.

Chris Taylor - April 2, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov is still willing to leave Russia for a fight with Tony Ferguson on April 18, but he needs Dana White to give him some answers. The promotions undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Khabib, had hinted on Wednesday that he would be unable to participate at UFC 249 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Cole Shelton - April 2, 2020

UFC president Dana White says everyone knew Khabib Nurmagomedov wasn’t going to fight at UFC 249. Earlier this week, Nurmagomedov announced he was stuck in Russia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then took to social media again to say he would indeed be off the card which Tony Ferguson was not happy about. He called for the champ to be stripped of his belt and said the undefeated Dagestani champion was scared of him.

Natasha Hooper - April 1, 2020

Boxing promoter Bob Arum has blasted UFC president Dana White for continuing to put on shows despite the coronavirus pandemic. The combat sports industry has been put on hold to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Boxing events have been postponed, and the UFC has already held off on three fight cards. However, Dana White is doing everything he can to resume business. He is currently in negotiations to finalize a venue for the upcoming UFC 249 card on April 18. White also expects UFC 250 on May 9 will still happen. The fight cards will likely take place using a small production team from a closed arena and with strict safety precautions. However, with so little still known about the coronavirus and no vaccine available, holding any event will still pose a risk.

Tom Taylor - March 31, 2020

Chael Sonnen recognizes that the coronavirus pandemic is a serious issue, but he’s also having a hard time wrapping his head around the criticism directed at UFC President Dana White. While most other sports leagues — and many MMA promotions — have closed up shop to minimize the spread of of the virus, White has been defiantly attempting to promote events as normal in the early weeks of this crisis.

Tom Taylor - March 30, 2020

The UFC 249 main event between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson is now seemingly a no-go thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, but UFC President Dana White is still insistent that the card will happen. The location of the April 18 event, however, remains a complete mystery.