6 Ups And 2 Down's From UFC 251
1. Up: Fight Island Is A Huge Success
Fight Island has been a massive gamble for the UFC, as they have paid out the nose to rent an entire area of Abu Dhabi, lose the huge income that a live-gate brings, and increased scrutiny of trying to run normally during a pandemic.
Thankfully, it's turned out to be a massive success on its opening night. The event was trending high worldwide, with a lot of media released by the UFC, such as the reveal of the UFC 4 game trailer, shooting to #1 trending on YouTube.
Sporting an amazing look, fantastic production, and the testing system appeared to work flawlessly. As the pandemic continues, only two fighters on the whole card had to be removed due to catching the virus, and every day it appears another potentially infected fighter is being pulled from future cards.
The UFC has also shown they are willing to go above and beyond to help put on entertainment for their fans, including meeting Masvidal's payment standards and already having in place a replacement for the vacant Flyweight title fight now that Deiveson Figueiredo has had to drop out.
It's safe to say MMA as a sport is gaining a lot of new audiences, and the UFC is giving fans the sport they crave no matter the cost during such a harsh time.