Dana White Questions If The HTA Wants The UFC In Hawaii

The UFC has been to a lot of great locations over their two-plus decades of existence, but one place they haven’t been to is the state of Hawaii. 

According to UFC President Dana White, a roadblock that is preventing the UFC from coming to the state is the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA).

“We want to come here,” White told KHON2. “We love this place, and we’ve got to get this thing figured out eventually. So we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. I want it. Does the tourism board want it? Do they, or do they not? If they do, we’ll come. If they do not, we understand.”

There are reports that have surfaced in recent months stating that the UFC and the HTA are far apart when it comes to the financials for bringing the promotion to the islands. 

White wants to get the deal done, but another person White says has been pushing to get the UFC to Hawaii is UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway.

“This place has been the spot for mixed martial arts since the late 90s,” White said. “I haven’t been out here for a fight in a while, so it was good to be out here. I had Max with me. Max wants it bad.”

With the UFC approaching 500 total events next month, it is truly odd to believe that they haven’t been to the state of Hawaii in that time.