Dana White: Usman vs. Masvidal, UFC 261 Card to Feature Full Crowd

The UFC is planning to stage UFC 261 on April 24 in front of a full house at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

President Dana White announced Monday that the UFC is welcoming fans back for the show, which is headlined by Kamaru Usman's rematch with Jorge Masvidal.

The card includes two more title fights. Valentina Shevchenko will put the women's flyweight championship on the line against Jessica Andrade, and Rose Namajunas will challenge women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili.

UFC 261 is set to be the second major public sporting event in the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Texas Rangers are planning to open up Globe Life Field on April 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the state's COVID-19 restrictions earlier this month, which caught the attention of White.

"I want to go to Texas ASAP," he told reporters March 4. "I'll go in the next two, three weeks. I'm ready to roll. We'll be first. We'll open this thing up, we'll sell it out and be on our way."