Just five days ago, UFC president Dana White dismissed the coronavirus as a credible threat to the promotion running its business as usual. But things have changed in a major way.
The outbreak is now a global pandemic, with more than 127,000 cases and 4,700 deaths across more than 100 countries – numbers that are rapidly rising. It’s caused the postponement and cancellation of public gatherings across the world, including sporting events.
On Thursday, after every major American professional sports league shut down indefinitely, the UFC went in the other direction. Appearing on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” White confirmed that the company’s remaining events over the next several weeks will proceed with potential tweaks at each stop.
Of note:
- As had been previously reported by Brazilian media outlets, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 in Brasilia, Brazil will continue, but fans and media will not be admitted to the event. Also, the card will be broadcast on linear ESPN cable, as well as ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, with the start time moved up to 3 p.m ET.
- As of now, the March 21 UFC London card is going on without any changes. White explained on “SportsCenter” that fans will still be admitted to the event, but if local authorities determine between now and fight time to close the event to fans, the company will comply.
- The next two events after London: UFC on ESPN 8, slated for Columbus, Ohio, and UFC on ESPN+ 30, scheduled for Portland, Ore., will be moved to the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas and will not be open to fans.
That brings us up to the biggest question mark, the highly anticipated UFC 249 in the New York borough of Brooklyn on April 18, for which no decision has been made either way.
White, who said that he spoke with both president Donald Trump and vice-president Mike Pence on Thursday, insisted the company will take precautions above and beyond the rest of the sports world in order to ensure fighters will be healthy when they step into the octagon.
“We always go overboard. In the over 25 years the UFC has been around, there has never been a death or serious injury in the UFC,” White said. “Think about that. Think about our sport … you know why? Because we always go overboard with health and safety, and that’s what I’m going to do here.”
The decision comes on the heels of state governments issuing bans on large public gatherings across the country, leading every major American sports entity to take action to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
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On Wednesday, the NBA took the major step of immediately suspending its season indefinitely after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for coronavirus; a second Jazz player also tested positive. On Thursday, the NHL, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer followed suit. In the case of MLB, it canceled Spring Training and will delay the start of its regular season. The NCAA also canceled its annual men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
Last weekend at UFC 247, White was asked by TSN if the promotion was closely monitoring the coronavirus threat given the increase in canceled events at that time.
“Yeah, um, of course. I mean, listen, if venues are gonna start stopping having events, I don’t see that happening,” White said. “… We’ll see how this whole thing plays out. I don’t give a sh*t about the coronavirus. As far as I’m concerned, we’re gonna continue to run our business. We have (UFC doctor Jeffrey Davidson) involved, and we’re always looking out for the safety of the fighter, no matter what it is – whether it’s coronavirus or any other thing that could hurt our athletes or our fans.”
The coronavirus outbreak, which started late last year in China, already had caused other MMA organizations to make adjustments, including Asian-based ONE Championship and European-based promotions KSW and ARES. On Thursday, it also impacted Bellator, which decided to proceed with Friday’s Bellator 241 event being closed to the public in Uncasville, Conn.
“Everybody is panicking,” White said on “SportsCenter.” “Instead of panicking, we’re actually getting out there and working with doctors and health officials and the government to figure out how we keep the sport safe and how we can continue with our events.”
The UFC put out a formal press release Thursday night regarding the Columbus and Portland events:
UFC Fight Night: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik, originally scheduled for Saturday, March 28, at Nationwide Arena, in Columbus, Ohio, will be relocated following the State of Ohio’s ban on large gatherings of 100 or more. In addition, UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 11 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, will be relocated following the State of Oregon’s ban on large public gatherings of 250 or more. These events will now take place in UFC APEX in Las Vegas on the same dates, Saturday, March 28, and Saturday, April 11, respectively. Both events will proceed with only essential personnel in attendance and without spectators. UFC is working directly with Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Bob Bennett on implementing a process to screen the competing athletes for the coronavirus to ensure their health and safety. These events are scheduled to be broadcast live on ESPN’s platforms here in the U.S., and by UFC’s media partners around the world.
We know many of our fans in Ohio and Oregon are disappointed, as are we. Ticket holders may seek a full refund at the point of purchase. We look forward to returning to Columbus and Portland at the earliest opportunity.