Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White has postponed all fights moving forward because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The UFC is the largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization in the world. It showcases the best international fighters using a variety of martial arts styles and disciplines, and it has undoubtedly grown in popularity in recent years because of transcendent and influential fighters like former women's champion Ronda Rousey and the ever controversial Conor McGregor.
White had previously said fights were going to go on despite the ongoing crisis. In fact, they held a fight in an empty arena on Saturday in Brazil amid fears of COVID-19 spreading.
The initial plan for the UFC was to look for new venues to host fight cards, with White saying that “a total shutdown of the country, where people can't leave their houses and things like that” would be the only thing that would force them to cancel bouts altogether.
However, after the NBA, MLB and basically all sports suspended play, White and the UFC pretty much had no choice but to pivot on their coronavirus stance.
This weekend's UFC event, as well as 3/28 and 4/11, have been indefinitely postponed per an email from Dana White to all UFC employees. #UFC
— Michael Carroll (@MJCflipdascript) March 16, 2020
In this crisis, the CDC and pretty much all athletes advocate for social distancing in order to prevent the further spread of the infectious disease. The UFC is all contact basically, so it wouldn't have been smart for play to keep on going.
Last Wednesday, the NBA immediately suspended play after Utah Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. His teammate Donovan Mitchell and Detroit Pistons big man Christian Wood are the two other NBA players to contract the virus.
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