Dana White provides a grim update on UFC Africa plans
UFC CEO Dana White remains focused on making UFC Africa happen, but the promotion’s first event on the continent has hit several speed bumps in recent months.
UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis is the promotion’s lone African-born titleholder at present, after defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. After dismantling Adesanya, he called for his next title defense to take place in Africa, likely against Sean Strickland.
The UFC and White have teased a debut Africa event for years, dating back to Francis Ngannou’s heavyweight title reign. But, nothing has come to fruition, despite an ongoing process by the matchmakers to figure out a solution.
Du Plessis is the most likely headliner for an Africa-based UFC card. But, White says fans shouldn’t expect an event to take place anytime soon unless the continent’s arena infrastructure improves.
Dana White says UFC Africa is in jeopardy due to “Tough arena situation”
During a recent press conference, White admitted that UFC Africa is in limbo.
“You know how bad I want this, I’ve been trying to get this thing done. The arena situation there is tough, it’s tough to pull off,” White said. “That’s been the challenge with Africa as a whole. We’re trying to figure it out. The place that we would have to do it at, is outdoors, and you know how I feel about that. So I’ve been trying to figure out with the weather…. wind is a big problem. We’ve done it a couple of times, but anything that can affect the outcome of the fight, makes me not even want to try…
“It’s anything from wind, rain, bugs, too much humidity. A lot of things can interfere with the fight.”
Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa are two potential venues for the UFC’s debut event on the continent. But as of this writing, it seems that the promotion’s showcase in Africa is indefinitely on hold.
