Dana White Wants a UFC Event in Afghanistan for US Troops in 2011

UFC President Dana White has never been shy when it comes to voicing his thoughts and opinions on anything MMA—related. He is the driving force in the expansion and explosion of the sport, but he isn't about to rest on his laurels.

It has been known for quite some time that one of White's biggest goals is to put on an event for American troops in either Iraq or Afghanistan. A trip to either country would not only be a logistical nightmare, but seemingly almost impossible to pull off with everything that goes into an event.

White spoke about the possibility of holding an event in Afghanistan in early 2011, but he understands it may be the biggest challenge of his career.

"It's going to happen, but even when it does happen, we're not going to be able to talk about it," White said. "It's going to be a stealth mission. We're going to zoom in there, put on a fight and get the hell out. If we're going to go in there and spend the money to shoot it, it's got to be TV quality."

"It's got to be up to our standards to be shown on television. In a perfect world, we show this on television, we show troops in between each round, guys sending messages back home. If we can do what we want to do, this will be an incredible event. We just want to do it. You know how I am with the military. We just want to do it."

White can look to the WWE as a possible model on how to handle the whole process. Vince McMahon has brought his company to both Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003, holding shows in their annual Tribute to the Troops each December. 

Obviously producing a mixed martial arts event will take much more work than a scripted television wrestling program, but the foundation has been laid for such an event to take place.

Although White may envision an early 2011 event for the UFC and Afghanistan, it may take much longer than that to come to fruition. However, if anyone can pull it off, Dana White is the man for the job.

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