ARES 2 postponed as European promotion exercises caution during coronavirus crisis

ARES FC is the second MMA promotion in as many days to postpone an event over coronavirus concerns.

Euro-African promotion ARES Fighting Championship has announced the postponement of its upcoming event, ARES 2, because of concerns arising from the coronavirus outbreak.

ARES 2 originally was set to take place Friday, April 3 at Forest National-Vorst National Arena in Brussels, Belgium, and stream live on UFC Fight Pass.

Now the promotion has made the decision to push the event back to the end of October, by which time hopefully coronavirus will be under control and the risk to competitors and spectators will have subsided.

“ARES Fighting Championship is sad to announce that the ARES 2 event scheduled for the 3rd of April in Brussels will be postponed to the 30th of October 2020,” said an official statement from the promotion.

“The coronavirus epidemic raises serious questions about contagion in closed environments. We don’t know at this stage how the situation will evolve. The health of our audience, international fighters, and staff is our utmost concern, and we are not willing to take any unnecessary risks.

“With the full support of all our partners involved and that of the ARES fighters themselves, ARES Fighting Championship has therefore decided to postpone the event.”

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The promotion added that tickets already purchased for ARES 2 will be valid for the rescheduled date. There’s also an option for fans to be reimbursed.

The postponement of ARES 2 comes in the wake of postponement of “ONE Championship 110: Heart of Heroes,” set for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on March 20. That event has been provisionally rescheduled for June 26.