Aviation

Etihad Airways flies in mixed martial arts champions to Abu Dhabi, as Yas Island gets ready for UFC Fight Island

Etihad A380 residence

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, flew hundreds of UFC participants including athletes and event crew to Abu Dhabi as the city prepares to host UFC Fight Island. UFC is the biggest mixed martial arts tournament in the world, with more than 300 million fans around the world.

Etihad is the official airline partner of the event, which is Abu Dhabi’s inaugural major sporting event since the outbreak of COVID-19.

This weekend, Etihad carried UFC stars Amanda Ribas, Jéssica Andrade and José Aldo from Sao Paulo to Abu Dhabi, with Paige VanZant, Rose Namajunas and Max Holloway jetting into the UAE capital from Las Vegas.

Hosting a major sporting event during a pandemic is a complex undertaking and organisations across Abu Dhabi have worked hand in hand to ensure this exciting event will be a huge success. The sport has a huge global following with athletes and the event team is travelling in from all corners of the world, including Sao Paulo, Las Vegas, London and Moscow.

Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, one of the UAE’s most popular leisure, shopping and entertainment destinations, will host the event from July 11 to 25.