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UFC 261 sells out in minutes, tickets warn of 'death' and 'permanent damage' from COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over yet, but UFC president Dana White is moving forward with UFC 261 next month like normal.

The UFC sold out 15,000 tickets in just minutes on Friday for the April 24 bout at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida — which sets an arena record for the largest gross gate.

[New ESPN+ members can bundle UFC 260 with one year of ESPN+ for $89.98]

Ticket prices, according to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, have already jumped 20 times face value.

Fine print on tickets warns of ‘death, permanent damage’

While vaccines are being administered at an incredibly fast rate across the country and cases are down from record spikes earlier this year, packing 15,000 people into an arena almost certainly isn’t a safe move.

White and the UFC, it seems, are fully aware of this — and they're moving forward anyway.

In the fine print on the tickets for the event, they warned fans that attending the event “may lead to exposure to COVID-19,” which could result in “death” or other “permanent damage.”

Now, UFC 261 should be a good one. Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal are set for their welterweight title rematch, and will step into the Octagon after flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko attempts to defend her belt against Jessica Andrade in the co-main event.

Considering the circumstances, however, attending will be costly — both to fans' bank accounts and potentially to their health. The CDC is still urging people to practice social distancing and not gather in large groups, too, which won't be happening with a sold out arena.

If someone does get sick, though, White and the UFC have more than made sure they are protected legally.

UFC President Dana White
Dana White set an arena record on Friday for next month's UFC 261 in Jacksonville, but had to issue a severe health warning in the fine print on the tickets. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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