Ariel Helwani broke the news of Dana White holding special meetings with UFC fighters

Dana White seems to have a plan for the future of the UFC and is set for meetings with his fighters.

This was broken by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani as the UFC prepares to return to action.

White’s hand was played a bit by Disney and ESPN, who cancelled UFC 249. However, the UFC president is preparing for the return of the UFC on 9 May.

There are several fights planned for that event with three title bouts. Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson are set to meet for the interim UFC Lightweight title. Henry Cejudo and Amanda Nunes will also defend their respective titles on 9 May.

The card hasn’t been finalised yet and there is no confirmation of a location either. However, White seems to be taking further steps to ensure fights take place.

UFC President Dana White will be hosting 2 web sessions for fighters on the roster tomorrow and Monday to communicate “about upcoming events for the remainder of the year as well as help answer any questions about training, fights, health, safety and more,” per multiple sources.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 17, 2020

No third party members

Helwani also put up another status confirming that no managers or third party members would be part of this meeting.

This is for fighters only. No managers or third party members invited. They are also providing translators on the calls and will address any concerns or logistical questions for the upcoming events.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 17, 2020

This should ease any fears that stars may have over the future of the UFC. Several stars are under contract to fight this year, and hopefully, the UFC can pay out them all.

It seems to be a precursor to more fights coming in the future too. White has also spoken of his private island hosting UFC fights, and it will be interesting to see what happens from these meetings.

The UFC, like every major sporting league, has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Several fight cards have been cancelled but White has been adamant that fights will take place soon.

The UFC president has always said that the health and safety of all stakeholders is most important to him, but he has been confident of hosting fights for a while now.

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