UFC to air Kobe Bryant tribute during UFC 247

The UFC will pay tribute to the late, great Kobe Bryant during Saturday’s UFC 247 broadcast.

UFC President Dana White divulged the company’s plans to honor the basketball legend during an interview with TMZ.

“This is the first fight since it happened and, yes, we’re going to do something for Kobe,” White said (via MMA Junkie).

White also revealed that Bryant was one of several recent celebrity investors in the UFC.

“You look at Kobe the basketball player, right? Then the guy won an Oscar, and all the other things that this guy has accomplished in his life – also he was one of the big investors in Body Armor, the company that’s a sponsor of the UFC,” White said.

“He was also an investor in the UFC, and the UFC killed it last year. I mean 2019, when I say 2019 was our best year – others years, 2019’s through the roof. It was massive. So the owners got a distribution, and Kobe got a distribution from the UFC, the Wednesday before the incident, and he was so pumped up and so excited.”

Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and several others, in Calabasas, California late last month. This tragedy left the combat sports world reeling, and many still haven’t digested the news.

Shortly after Bryant’s passing, many UFC fighters offered their own tributes to the legend, including former champions Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier.

Tune in to the UFC 247 broadcast this Saturday to see the UFC’s tribute to the legendary LA Laker Kobe Bryant.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/7/2020.