UFC 311 could potentially move location this weekend due to the ongoing wildfires spreading across Los Angeles.
The first major event of the 2025 UFC calendar is just around the corner, but the devastating scenes in LA may enforce a change.
A gigantic wildfire has spread through the city and in just a few days, more than 10,000 structures have been impacted, with at least ten people losing their lives.
Sport has taken a backseat, with the risk being too high to play any fixtures in the affected areas as the fire continues to spread.
In the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers called off their games while in the NFL, the LA Rams are moving stadium to play.
That has left many question marks over the venue for UFC 311 which has been planned to go ahead at the Intuit Dome…
Is UFC 311 still taking place in LA?
At the moment, UFC 311 is still going ahead in Los Angeles.
But if the fires get worse, then president Dana White is going to act.
On Sunday, he revealed that the event could move location due to the impact of the fire.
Speaking on a stream with social media star Adin Ross, White said: “Well, if the fire gets bad, we are coming to Vegas.
“Yeah, we’ll move it to Vegas. If it gets too bad. But as of now? It’s all go.
“The NBA is gonna go this week. We are gonna go.”
As well as this comment from the UFC boss, the California State Athletic Commission has also commented on the situation.
They said: “We are watching the ongoing wildfires and the subsequent emergency and disaster response in the Los Angeles area.
“Our hearts are with the residents of the region, and we appreciate the efforts of first responders in keeping the community safe.
“At this time, no decisions have been made about moving UFC 311, but we will continue to work with state and local officials and the UFC to determine the best course of action.”
So, as things stand, the event is going to go ahead, but there is potential for a late switch.
And the LA Rams’ decision to move stadium for their NFL Playoff fixture could directly impact the location of UFC 311.
The Rams play their NFL games at the SoFi Stadium which is directly across the street from the venue for this event, the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
Team president Kevin Demoff explained their decision to switch, saying: “Shortly before the Kenneth fire, we had a conversation with local public safety officials and they began to express doubt about whether they could adequately staff the game.
“And not only that but it went into, you could hear the pain, the struggle in their voices.
“It was pretty clear that the right thing to do was to not play the game [here].
“That was before we went to practice and had players evacuated because of the Kenneth fire and the flareup that we could all see.”
Of course, that game is being played six days before UFC 311 is scheduled, so things could have changed by that time.
However, there is certainly still some major concern over the event going ahead as planned.
UFC 311 is set to get started at around 11pm UK time before the preliminary fights start at 1am on Sunday morning.
The main card, which included two title fights, ae expected to get going at around 3am on Sunday UK time.
Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight title against Arma Tsarukyan while Merab Dvalishvili aims to keep his bantamweight belt against Umar Nurmagomedov.
