Etihad Airways flies UFC to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is proud to be flying hundreds of UFC participants including athletes and event crew, to Abu Dhabi as the city prepares to host UFC Fight Island™, a series of events including UFC 251.

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 Paolo to Abu Dhabi, with Paige VanZant, Rose Namajunas and Max Holloway jetting into the UAE capital from Las Vegas.

The team were welcomed on board by Etihad’s award-winning Cabin Crew, including the Etihad Wellness Ambassador, a member of the Crew dedicated to guest wellbeing on board.

A first in the industry, Etihad’s ambassadors have been introduced to provide essential travel health information and care so every guest, including UFC champions, can fly with greater peace of mind.

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 travelling in from all corners of the world, including Sao Paolo, Las Vegas, London and Moscow.

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

UFC is the biggest mixed martial arts tournament in the world, with more than 300 million fans around the world.