UFC President Dana White (R) speaks with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)
UFC president Dana White provide an update on the future of events as the coronavirus spreads.
The United States has banned flights from several European countries as the virus has affected several events so far.
There were some doubts about the future of the UFC events in the coming months. Rumours also circulated that the UFC 249 bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson could get cancelled or postponed.
However, White explained that the shows will go on, with one major difference:
“We’ve been closely monitoring the situation with the coronavirus and the potential impact on the health and safety of the UFC athletes, staff and fans around the world.
“We are moving forward with all our UFC live events but we’re gonna adapt to these unprecedented circumstances.”
The president went on to say that some of the matches would be shifted from their regular venues to the UFC Apex.
He also said that fans may not be able to attend such events, but that was for the best:
“You know I hate this, but the decision has been made in the best interests of everyone involved with our events.”
White also said that the team is working hard to monitor the situation, and fans will be updated.
“This is a very tough situation that is constantly evolving, so we will keep you updated as best we can.”
The president confirmed that fans would be receiving a full refund of all tickets. This update from White is huge considering that several top leagues have either suspended or cancelled events for the year.
Major cities in the US are also considering cancelling events with huge crowds.
Tennis, NBA and football have all been affected across the world, and it will be interesting to see how long UFC goes on with this plan.
Fans can watch the live fights on any network or channel that has a tie-up with the UFC.
UFC 249 and the rest of the fights will go on, as scheduled, minus the fans. This is a bit of a price to pay for some interested in watching the shows live, but prevention is better than cure at the moment.
The lack of fans will be a huge financial hit for the UFC too. Hopefully, such measures don’t stay for a long time and things return to normal soon.
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