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UFC president Dana White is being honest when he says he tried as hard as he could to avoid postponing events.
The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll globally and the sports industry has felt that wrath. Most major sports organizations have put their operations on hold. At the very least, they have either suspended or canceled the regular season in their organization. The UFC was determined to push forward with all planned events.
White Says CDC Guidelines Doomed Three UFC Cards
A major snag the UFC ran into was when the CDC implemented stricter guidelines as the coronavirus situation continued to get worse. With the UFC only being allowed to have gatherings of 10 people or less, the decision was made to postpone UFC London, UFC Columbus, and UFC Portland.
Speaking to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, White admitted that those new restrictions ended up dooming the planned events (via Bloody Elbow).
“Of course, of course there would,” White confirmed, when asked if there would have been a UFC event this weekend if it weren’t for the CDC’s latest directive. “And we’ve followed and complied with all the rules. Every time they’ve come out and said—I can’t remember what the first number was, and then the second number was 50, so we figured that out. And then once they got to 10? We’re good, but we can’t pull that one-off.”
White has insisted that the April 18 lightweight title bout between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson will go on as planned. The championship fight was scheduled to take place inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. With an executive order put in place in New York, the UFC was forced to move the event. White has said that Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson may not even be held in the United States.
Khabib’s father has suggested that Dubai is a frontrunner to serve as the location of the bout. White responded to the claim saying the UFC is exploring all potential avenues.