This was announced at a press conference in Las Vegas by UFC CEO, Dana White.
“The flags are back,” the head of the organization told reporters. “I was on vacation for Mexican Independence Day, and the lack of flags was just driving me crazy. So I thought, ‘Screw it – we’re going to get the flags back’.”
According to White, he didn’t initially see the flag ban as a big problem, nor was he strongly opposed to it, but as time went on, he began to like what was happening less and less.
“There’s always a lot going on in a company this big, and it’s impossible to control everything. Sometimes things are done for the right purposes, sometimes not. Everyone in this room knows how I feel about a lot of things. Mostly it’s, ‘I don’t really care.’ That’s the answer to most questions.”
“Everyone’s gotten too soft, sensitive about everything. When the decision was made, I was like, ‘What’s the big deal about not having flags?’ On Mexican Independence Day, a switch flicked for me, and I was like, ‘Enough is enough, it’s time to lift this ban.’ So flags are back, and if some flag hurts your feelings, so much the worse for you.”
The first Russian fighter who will be able to take the national tricolor into the octagon in a week will be UFC Fight Night 230 participant Irina Alexeeva, and six Russians, including current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, headlining the numbered event at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21.