Dana White: UFC has not discussed a Russia event 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 on Oct. 24, Dana White said there had been no talks, then added: "We probably should."

The question came from a reporter who asked in Russian, with White's permission, then through a translator. He noted that two UFC champions entering the night were Russian. One of them, Petr Yan, had just defended his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili.

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. FightTime.ru quotes him saying recent events had pushed the idea down the agenda, but that 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 a welterweight and the lead name in the push, though nothing from either fighter amounts to a booking.

There is history to point to. The UFC's first Russian event was held in Moscow in September 2018, and a second followed in St. Petersburg in April 2019. Russian heavyweight Alexey Oleinik headlined both.

The 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, and the biggest international events keep the same stance.

What to watch is whether White's answer turns into a real conversation. For now there is no plan, no venue and no date, and Yan's next fight is the nearer item on the calendar.