Dana White says promotion hosting over 1,500 Las Vegas shooting first responders tonight at UFC 216

Our beautiful country is still recovering from this week’s egregious mass shooting during a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nobody could have predicted that such a heinous act would hit so close to home and cut short the lives of 58 people.

While the healing process is only beginning, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is doing everything in its power to assist the people involved in the Las Vegas shooting. UFC is based in “Sin City” and has hundreds of employees and contracted fighters who reside in the surrounding area so this week’s tragedy really hits home.

After announcing earlier this week that the promotion is donating $1 million to the families of the victims of the mass shooting, UFC is stepping up to the plate yet again this weekend in Las Vegas. According to UFC president Dana White, the promotion will host more than 1,500 Las Vegas shooting first responders later tonight (Sat., Oct. 7, 2017) at UFC 216.

“I have 1,500-plus first responders coming to the fight on Saturday: police officers, firefighters, EMTs, medical staff,” White told Canadian news outlet TSN. “All people that were involved in saving people’s lives. And (we’re) probably going to have six or seven of the people that were shot here on Saturday night. This show is going to be unlike any show you’ve ever seen the UFC produce.”

UFC 216, which will be headlined by an interim lightweight title fight between divisional veteran Tony Ferguson and fast-rising youngster Kevin Lee, was in limbo following the mass shooting. Despite the decision that the show must go on, which is usually the best course of action to give people something to cheer about during a time like this, White understands how lucky UFC was to not lose anyone close to the promotion.

“I turned the news on and I started to see it,” White said. “I was up all night watching. It was surreal. It’s very surreal to believe this was happening right down the street from where I live and where my kids are sleeping.

“We were just hoping that everyone was OK. We were checking on all of our employees, we were checking on all of our fighters, and we’re so lucky and we’re so happy to learn no one (from the UFC) was hurt or killed. We’re so lucky that none of our guys or girls were injured.”

While the action should deliver on arrival later tonight inside T-Mobile Arena, UFC 216 will more than likely offer some somber moments as well. UFC is going to do everything in its power to pay tribute to those who fell victim to the Las Vegas shooting so tonight’s PPV event should be pretty special.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 216 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass "Prelims" matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on FX at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.