Dana White's Crazy Gamble Could Pay Off For UFC

Dana White is hellbent on having the UFC continue with business as usual despite the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down businesses worldwide. While his move to continue with fights inside the octagon seems reckless, it's still a gamble that could pay off big-time for the UFC and mixed martial arts as a whole.

White has pushed hard for UFC 249 to take place despite losing his location and one of two fighters from the main event. Tony Ferguson will battle Justin Gaethje instead of Khabib Nurmagomedov after the latter wound up quarantined in his native Russia. Despite all the obstacles, the event is set to take place on April 18 at an undisclosed location.

White is apparently loathe to admit he's doing to fight on tribal land in California for some reason. His Wednesday appearance on Get Up was awkward as hell as he consistently avoided the question.

For the world after UFC 249, White is in the middle of securing a private island to hold events and says the UFC will be, "pumping out fights every week." Again, that's an incredibly bold and potentially dangerous move. But it could be huge for the UFC.

Right now, all major professional sports leagues are shut down and sports fans are starved for live content. If the UFC could corner the market on live events, it could be enormous for the company. Not only would the ratings for those events likely be through the roof, but they would almost certainly create new fans and bring casual fans closer to the product.

While everyone else is trying to bring their leagues back safely, White has blitzed past that and is just pushing ahead. It's brash and could be incredibly dangerous but, as stated, it could also be wildly successful for the UFC.

White clearly thinks the gamble is worth it. We'll see if he's right.