Kobe Bryant’s tragic death shocked the world when he, his daughter and 7 others tragically lost their lives.
The UFC’s first event since Kobe Bryant’s death will be UFC 247, this Saturday, February 8th from the Toyota Center in Houston Texas. Kobe Bryant attended UFC events in the past and has business ties with the company. Bryant was the majority stakeholder in BodyArmor, which is one of the UFC’s main sponsors.
Dana White told TMZ that Kobe Bryant will be honored at UFC 247.
“This is the first fights since it’s happened and yes we are going to do something for him. We look at Kobe not only as a basketball player than the guy who won an Oscar and everything else he has accomplished his life. He was also a big investor in Body Armor the company that sponsors the UFC. He was also an investor in the UFC.”
2019 was the most successful year in UFC history. The UFC deal with ESPN was a big contributor to the rise of the UFC last year. Dana White revealed that Kobe got a good distribution check days before his death.
“Kobe got a good distribution from the UFC right before the incident. He was so pumped up. He also said what every investor says and wishes he invested more. He was a great dude. He was a good guy in every way you could possibly be a good guy.”
UFC 247 will feature the main event headlined by light heavyweight champion Jon Jones defending his belt against Dominick Reyes. Women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will defend her belt against Katlyn Chookagian. The main event is set to kick off at 10 pm ET and prelims begin at 8 pm ET.