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Despite Dana White and the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s best efforts, UFC 249 has been canceled. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the UFC has made the decision to postpone all events indefinitely.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN reported the news.
“UFC 249 has been canceled. All UFC events postponed indefinitely, due to COVID-19. Dana White says he was ready to promote the event but things were taken out of his control. Much, much more on this to come,” Okamoto wrote.
The event had been planned for Saturday, April 18 with a lightweight bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje for the interim championship. The rumored location for the event was Tachi Palace Casino Resort on tribal land.
California Senator Dianne Feinstein had urged the UFC and Tachi-Yokut tribe to delay the pay-per-view.
“This event would involve dozens of individuals flying to California and driving to a casino for a purpose no one can honestly claim is essential,” Feinstein said in a statement. “I call on Ultimate Fighting Championship and the Tachi-Yokut Tribe to reconsider this event and delay it until a later date. We have to be responsible and mindful of all local, state and federal public health guidelines. Going ahead with this event is not the right move.
The coronavirus outbreak has led to the cancellation or postponing of many large events including The Masters, NCAA Tournament, Coachella, SXSW, the Winter X Games, Stagecoach, Ultra Music Festival in Miami, and more. The NBA, NHL, and MLS have temporarily suspended their seasons.
There are currently more than 16,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the United States with more than 6,200 deaths in New York City.
A look at the latest information regarding UFC 249 can be seen below.
Planned UFC 249 Fight Card
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- Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – for interim lightweight title
- Jessica Andrade vs. TBD
- Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro
- Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price
- Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens
- Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
- Alexander Hernandez vs. Omar Morales
- Ray Borg vs. Marlon Vera
- Michael Johnson vs. Khama Worthy
- Sijara Eubanks vs. Sarah Moras
- Sam Alvey vs. Ryan Spann
UFC 249: Fight Time & Viewing Details
Event: UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje
Date: CANCELLED
Venue: Tachi Palace Casino Resort
Main Card Card Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Broadcast: TBD
