Dana White finally caves and calls off UFC 249. The fighting world reacts to the news.

Dana White told Brett Okamoto he only canceled UFC 249 because Disney and ESPN execs asked him to ‘stand down.’

Finally, finally, Dana White caved and has called off UFC 249.

White had planned to hold the event on April 18, despite nearly all other major sports in the United States shutting down during a global coronavirus pandemic. Despite losing one of his main event fighters, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the original location, White was still going ahead.

It got to the point where he was looking to hold the event on a private island, presumably to avoid state and city bans against large gatherings during coronavirus.

Stunningly, White only appears to have stopped his plan to hold the event when his television partners asked him to cancel it. White told Okamoto that he was asked to “stand down” by Disney and ESPN executives.

Helwani also reported that all future UFC events have been postponed indefinitely as well.

UFC fans had mixed reaction to the news. Some were despondent that the last chance for live sports had slipped through their fingers. Others were happy that UFC finally did the right thing for public health (and the health of their fighters.)

Others made jokes about private island blood sport.

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