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Adesanya down to fight on island: 'That would be f------ gangster'

Jeff Bottari / UFC / Getty

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is open to fighting during the coronavirus pandemic on the island that Dana White has apparently almost secured for events.

"I'm down to fight on a private island in front of the Illuminati and slay someone," Adesanya told ESPN's Ariel Helwani on Tuesday. "That would be f------ gangster."

White revealed Monday that he has nearly finalized a deal that will allow the promotion to hold events on a private island in a yet-to-be-announced location. The UFC president said he'll put international fighters that can't travel to the United States due to the COVID-19 outbreak on the island cards.

White said Wednesday he hopes to promote the first event on the island by mid-May.

Adesanya, who is coming off a successful title defense over Yoel Romero at UFC 248 in March, said he's in shape, but he wants to see if the promotion is able to pull off UFC 249 on April 18 before making any decisions.

"Fyre Festival ... that's another way it could go. But I have faith," Adesanya said. He added, "I actually talked to Dana a few days ago because I was just seeing him pop up in the news and whatnot. ... I just said, 'Hey, thanks for trying to put this card together.'"

The UFC is moving forward with its April 18 pay-per-view card despite the pandemic. The event, headlined by Tony Ferguson versus Justin Gaethje, will reportedly take place on tribal land in California, but White has refused to confirm the location.

Adesanya said it's "crazy" that the UFC will be one of the only major sports organizations continuing operations amid the global crisis.

"I can't think of any other sports that's being played right now," he said. "The whole world is literally going to watch it."

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