UFC Fight Island: Glimpse inside safe zone as octagon gets built on the beach

UFC president Dana White has released the first picture taken of Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, and yes, it’s an octagon on a beach.

The historic four-event series was announced for Yas Island earlier this month, beginning with a stacked UFC 251 on July 12, before shows on July 16, 19 and 26.

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However, while White’s social media post early Sunday showed an octagon being constructed on Yas Beach, it’s worth remembering the actual fights will take place at the nearby Flash Forum.

For the series, a 25-kilometre “safe zone” on Yas Island has been created, housing only the fighters, their coaches, UFC staff, select media and those deemed essential to Fight Island’s operation.

On Thursday, The National obtained a copy of the international delegate guide, which outlines the protocols to be implemented for those travelling to the Emirates and on to the safe zone. It includes extensive testing for Covid-19.

UFC 251 will feature three title fights, headlined by Kamaru Usman defending his welterweight crown against teammate Gilbert Burns.

Also on the main card, Alexander Volkanovski puts his featherweight belt on the line in a rematch with former champion Max Holloway, while Petr Jan and Jose Aldo clash for the vacant bantamweight title.

The other Fight Island cards are headlined by Calvin Kattar taking on Dan Ige on July 16, Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez battling for the vacant flyweight title three days later, while the much-anticipated bout between Robert Whittaker and Darren Till leads the way on July 26.

Sole survivors

Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

Six large-scale objects on show

Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
The 17^th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
Torrijos Palace dome

The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali

Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km