“We Didn’t Feel This Was the Right Time”- ESPN on UFC 249 Cancellation

UFC 249 that was looking to take place on the 18th of April, is quite controversial, to say the least. Dana White and the UFC were rather driven to make UFC 249 a possibility. But as of Thursday, the event stands canceled and ESPN has come out with its official statement to MMA FIghting concerning the same.

Almost every sporting organization brought their events to a halt. Regardless of the Coronavirus pandemic, the UFC was taking steps to orchestrate a series of events behind closed doors. Keen to be the first to move towards normalcy, ESPN and Disney have spilled water over their plans.

“ESPN has been in constant contact with the UFC regarding UFC 249. Nobody wants to see sports return more than we do. But we didn’t feel this was the right time for a variety of reasons. ESPN expressed its concerns to the UFC and they understood.”- Official statement by ESPN

Even after ESPN and Disney forced the UFC to take to the sidelines, for now, Dana White is still optimistic. White plans to bring the promotion back to life ahead of other sporting leagues. Leagues all over the world have suspended play as a response to Coronavirus. The NHL, NBA, LaLiga, Premier League are some examples.

After organizing an event in Brazil behind closed doors, White was confident that the same could be done for UFC 249. In addition, it wasn’t until travel restrictions were imposed that the UFC had to postpone three of its events.

ESPN and Disney Not the Only Ones Guilty of Getting UFC 249 Cancelled

In his unrelenting effort to keep UFC 249 alive, White settled on Tachi Palace Casino Resort, Leemore, California. This meant that the promotion did not need to worry about the statewide stay-at-home order from Governor Gavin Newsom because the venue falls outside Fresno and therefore, is exempt from such orders.

White found a way around Newsom’s orders and Newsom and some state officials, as reported by The New York Times, intervened by expressing their concerns directly to Disney.

Times reports that Newson made the call to Disney himself and requested executives to prevent the UFC from organizing weeks worth of events on the tribal land.

What do you make of this situation?