UFC president Dana White sat down with Khloe Kardashian for a candid interview on management and the wild trip of maintaining the UFC afloat through the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas the world was shutting down and pink slips had been flying sooner than an Alex Pereira left hook, White made a daring promise: no one on the UFC was getting laid off on his watch.
Khloe Kardashian Learns About UFC and COVID with Dana White
“When everybody was laying individuals off, individuals had been shedding their jobs left and proper, you had been like, ‘I’m not gonna lay anyone off. Everybody’s gonna hold their jobs,’” Khloe Kardashian stated throughout their dialog. “And if I heard or learn accurately, you had been going to take a pay lower to ensure that everybody to maintain theirs.”
Dana White clarified to Khloe Kardashian, “Not a pay lower, I used to be going to surrender my wage and bonus. If I used to be mistaken and we couldn’t make it via COVID, then the corporate would take the hit. There’s no method in hell that I used to be going to let that occur. We had been both gonna determine this out or we had been gonna all go down collectively.”
Whereas many sports activities organizations halted operations and lowered employees, White and the UFC took a unique method, working to maintain occasions working and workers on the payroll. White’s feedback spotlight the corporate’s dedication to its workforce throughout a interval of uncertainty, emphasizing a group mentality to share within the dangers introduced on by the pandemic.
The promotion shortly tailored by holding fights in empty arenas, establishing strict security protocols, and leveraging two key venues: the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and “Battle Island” on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Beginning in Could 2020, the Apex hosted occasions with no followers in attendance, restricted employees, and rigorous cleansing and testing protocols. The stripped-back atmosphere gave the broadcasts a singular really feel. Followers at house might hear each strike, nook instruction, and even the commentary
Each the Apex and Battle Island grew to become templates for sports activities organizations worldwide, exhibiting how reside occasions may very well be staged safely throughout a pandemic. The UFC was the primary main sports activities league within the U.S. to return to motion.
