The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, DCT Abu Dhabi, has announced the completion of works of the ‘safe zone’ for UFC Fight Island, with an 11km stretch of Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island locked off to the public as a safety precaution for international guests and the Abu Dhabi community.
The safe zone on Yas Island will be in place for the entirety of UFC Fight Island, which will run from 11th to 26th July, and will house more than 2,500 people for four events including one Pay Per View “UFC 251”, and three ESPN “Fight Nights”.
The zone represents an innovative approach to ensuring the safe return of UFC to Abu Dhabi, and also paves the way for further high-profile events heading for UAE shores later in the year.
All bouts will take place at Flash Forum, a multi-purpose indoor venue which has been adapted to suit UFC’s needs, whilst adhering to the country’s precautionary measures.
The famous “Octagon” also has its own safety measures. The Octagon, which is housed in a state-of-the-art, air-conditioned indoor arena within the zone, will be sanitised between all fights and be subjected to deep cleaning each evening.
“Over the past two weeks, we’ve been very busy building a safe and secure zone to bring UFC back to Abu Dhabi and, in turn, kick-start international sport and entertainment events again,” said Ali Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi. “The area of the safe zone aims to ensure we can provide a secure environment to host elite sport, but also protect our wider Abu Dhabi community.
He added that this event is emportant as it allows to begin the process of bringing back sports and tourism to Abu Dhabi. “It signals our readiness to once again host international events and provides us with a learning opportunity to improve and adapt, and efficiently prepare for the scheduled events ahead of us this year.”
UFC events are broadcast in 175 countries in 40 different languages and reach approximately one billion TV households. In the UAE and throughout the rest of the Middle East and North Africa, UFC Fight Island events will be broadcast on UFC Arabia, UFC’s first Arabic-language subscription service in the region.
