Dana White has broken his silence amid the wildfires in Los Angeles but has yet to address the status of UFC 311 on January 18 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
As the flames continue to wreak havoc on Los Angeles County, UFC fans have pointed out the fire’s proximity to the venue and the home of the LA Clippers.
The Sunset fire near Runyon Canyon Park and the Palisades fire near Skull Rock viewpoint are particularly alarming, as they are approximately 20 miles from the arena.
While White and Co. have not spoken about facing issues with the event, the UFC chief offered to help victims and commended the work of first responders.
‘Love this!!! Already called @govjoelombardo. Much respect to all the first responders from Nevada and California,’ White wrote on Instagram. ‘ANYTHING you need for Me or @ufc, we got you.’
The promotion’s first pay-per-view, headlined by Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan’s lightweight title bout, appears to be going well.
However, several sporting events have suffered from the calamity, with the Kings and Lakers having postponed events at Crypto.com Arena.
‘Our hearts are with the entire Los Angeles community,’ the Kings wrote. ‘We appreciate the hard-working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our fans, staff, and players safe.
On the other hand, the NBA is closely evaluating the situation as the LA Rams’ NFL playoff showdown with the Minnesota Vikings has been moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Award-winning MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that the UFC would relocate the card immediately if the fires became an issue.
‘UFC has had talks about the status of UFC 311 next weekend, I’m told,’ Helwani wrote.
‘As of right now, 311 is staying at Intuit. The hope is it remains there. But they are monitoring and ready to move the card, if need be. No talks of delaying the card. Obviously that call needs to happen soon. The event is eight days away.’
‘Vegas would be the frontrunner. Worth noting: T-Mobile Arena is not booked next Saturday, January 18.’