It seems that the UFC has finally given up the battle against the coronavirus, at least in the short term, as the promotion has reportedly postponed this weekend's Fight Night card, plus the two Fight Night events after that (3/28 and 4/11).
Michael Carroll first reported the news via Twitter:
This weekend's UFC event, as well as 3/28 and 4/11, have been indefinitely postponed per an email from Dana White to all UFC employees. #UFC
— Michael Carroll (@MJCflipdascript) March 16, 2020
Dana has praised the efforts of all employees for working so hard to constantly make it happen everywhere and every time. But, with the current state of affairs, it's simply impossible.
— Michael Carroll (@MJCflipdascript) March 16, 2020
The UFC also offers support to any employee and/or family member who may require medical support in the coming weeks/months. Positive email tbh.
— Michael Carroll (@MJCflipdascript) March 16, 2020
If the report turns out to be true, it would mean such key fights as Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro, Tyron Woodley vs. TBA, Raphael Assuncao vs. TBA, Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris, Carla Esparza vs. Michelle Waterson, Vicente Luque vs. Randy Brown and Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan won’t be taking place as scheduled.
There is no word at this time as to whether or not the UFC plans on rescheduling the postponed bouts or if all the fighters will go their separate ways.
A short time after the initial story appeared, an email from the UFC to their fighters announcing the news was obtained by MMA Junkie:
My Crew,
This has been a crazy couple of weeks.
We’ve been doing everything possible to stick to our live events schedule because the fighters want to fight, our employees want to work, and the fans want to watch our sport.
So many people have reached out over the past few days to say thanks for not canceling our Brasilia event on Saturday. When weird things happen in the world, or when there’s a tragedy, like the October 1 shooting, people want things to get back to normal, and nothing feels more normal than watching sports.
We did everything we could to relocate our next three events– London, Columbus, and Portland. But every day, there are new restrictions put in place on travel and large public gatherings that are making it impossible to stay on schedule. We can’t even hold an event in Vegas, our home town, because there’s a ban on all combat sports events in Nevada until at least March 25.
As you heard me say, I’ve been in the fight game for 20 years, and this is what we do—we find a way to keep our events going no matter what. If fighters miss weight, if fighters get hurt, or if states won’t regulate us, we figure out a way. But this is different. The whole world is being affected right now, and nothing is more important than the health and safety of you and your families.
That’s why we are closing all UFC offices effective immediately, including HQ in Vegas, through at least March 31st, and asking all employees to work from home. The PI will also be closed to all personnel, including athletes, during this time. The next three events– London, Columbus, and Portland—will be postponed. UFC 249 is still scheduled as planned, but the location may change. We’ll keep you posted.
I tell you guys all the time, you are the BEST TO EVER DO IT. It feels shitty now, but WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS, and we’ll be TOUGHER, STRONGER, AND MORE BADASS than before.
Right now, the number one priority is to take care of yourselves and your family.
Finally, I want you to know that UFC has your back. If you or any member of your family is showing symptoms of coronavirus and you’re having trouble getting to a doctor, please reach out to me, Lawrence, or Hunter.
Thanks.
Dana
The next event on the schedule, assuming it also doesn’t get postponed is UFC 249, which features UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov defending the gold against former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Tony Ferguson in the main event.
