Dana White: UFC has had no Russia talks but 'probably should'

The UFC has not talked about returning to Russia, but its CEO thinks it should start. Asked at the UFC 333 press conference in Abu Dhabi, Dana White said there had been no talks, then added: "We probably should."

The question came from a reporter who first asked in Russian, with White's permission, then through a translator. He pointed out that two UFC champions entering the night were Russian. One of them, Petr Yan, had just beaten Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision to keep his bantamweight title. White gave no plan, date or city.

Yan took up the idea himself and named a city. He said Yekaterinburg, where he lives, has a new 12,000-seat arena with the infrastructure and logistics to host a show. According to FightTime.ru, he said recent events had pushed the idea down the agenda, but he believes it could happen and knows people willing to organize it.

Yan is not the first Russian star to float a venue. According to FightTime.ru, Islam Makhachev earlier suggested Dinamo stadium in Makhachkala. Makhachev, 34, is the biggest name linked to the push, though nothing from either fighter amounts to a booking.

There is history to point to. The UFC has held three events in Russia: Moscow in September 2018, St. Petersburg in April 2019 and Moscow again in November 2019. Russian heavyweight Alexey Oleinik headlined the first two.

Politics are the obstacle. Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian athletes and events have been largely isolated by international sport. That has started to shift: the IOC provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee in July, though it still will not organize events inside Russia. Real American Freestyle held a card near Moscow in late September, after a venue change following a report that its original arena plan likely violated sanctions.

The thing to watch is whether White's answer turns into a real conversation. For now Yan's next fight is the nearer item on the calendar; White has named Song Yadong or Sean O'Malley as options, with nothing booked.