Getty Image
Dana White promised the UFC was going to be one of the first sports to welcome back fans whenever they were allowed to do so and he’s making good on his promise.
On Monday night White announced that the UFC will hold their UFC 261 Usman-Masvidal 2 event in Jacksonville, Florida with a full crowd in attendance.
#UFC just announced it will run a full-capacity show, #UFC261, in Jacksonville April 24 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Estimating around 15,000 people.
The city owns the building. As I've said, an executive order in the fall by Gov. Ron DeSantis enabled full-capacity shows.
— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) March 16, 2021
WE ARE BACK!!!!!!#UFC261 April 24th. Jacksonville, FL. FULL CROWD. pic.twitter.com/5dy7wb4OWE
— danawhite (@danawhite) March 16, 2021
White had previously attempted to secure a location in Texas after the state fully opened last week but was unable to find a city willing to cooperate.
Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry released a statement after White’s announcement.
@danawhite, @GovRonDeSantis, and I will continue to demonstrate that Florida is poised to safely host signature sporting events watched globally. Welcome back to Jacksonville 👊🏻 @ufc . Let’s go @danawhite https://t.co/M8UQqz5cID
— Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) March 16, 2021