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The UFC 249 event that will take place at an unannounced location on April 18 has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, UFC President Dana White said Thursday.
FILE PHOTO: UFC fight promoter Dana White speaks on behalf of her friend, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, during the second session of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. USA, July 19, 2016. REUTERS / Mike Segar
REUTERS: The UFC 249 event that will take place in an unannounced location on April 18 has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, UFC President Dana White said Thursday.
White said the mixed martial arts promotion was under pressure to cancel or postpone the event by the Disney corporation, which owns streaming partner ESPN.
In an interview with ESPN, White said he had received calls from “the powers that were (at Disney), and asked me to withdraw and not do this event next Saturday.”
Former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has withdrawn from her fight with Jessica Andrade after the death of two of her relatives by COVID-19.
With rumors that the event would take place in a California casino, state senator Dianne Feinstein asked that the event be postponed, as it was contrary to the state “shelter-in-place” directive that is in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
(Edition by Pritha Sarkar)
