Broadcast partner ESPN puts stop to Dana White’s plans for UFC 249
• Sports broadcaster ESPN have thwarted UFC president Dana White's bid to continue bouts during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Getty
UFC president Dana White’s plan to keep fighting amid the coronavirus pandemic has been dashed.
White revealed on Thursday (local time) that UFC 249 has been canceled and all other events postponed until further notice.
After defiantly vowing for weeks to maintain a regular schedule of fights, White announced the decision to cease competition on ESPN, the UFC’s broadcast partner in a reported $US1.5 billion ($A2.4 billion) deal.
UFC 249 was scheduled for April 18, and White planned to follow it with weekly fight cards from Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino on tribal land in California’s Central Valley.
White says he “got a call from the highest level you can go at Disney and the highest level of ESPN” on Thursday asking him to stop his efforts.
The UFC moved to ESPN in 2019.
