It’s Official: UFC 249 Finally Gets Cancelled

Dana White finally bowed to reality and canceled UFC 249. White insisted the pay-per-view would go on as scheduled. The event, slated for April 18, was tentatively going to move to an island location. The original location was the Tachi Palace in Lemoore, CA, but the pandemic undermined all initial plans. Originally, UFC President White was not going to let the COVID-19 virus cancel any of his promotions plans. And then Disney and ESPN stepped into the mix. The reality is White didn’t change his mind. Disney and ESPN put the brakes on his plans.

Neither the “Mouse House” nor its subsidiaries sport enterprise wanted a catastrophe to occur. The UFC wanted to buck the trend present in professional sports by not canceling anything. Recently, the WWE ran an empty-arena WrestleMania to great success. White likely felt he could duplicate Vince McMahon’s success with the upcoming MMA fight card. With so many people sitting at home bored, the always popular UFC events had a chance to draw a gigantic audience. The original main event for the PPV was anticipated. Then, it fell apart.

Superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov was to meet Tony Ferguson in a lightweight title fight. Once the pandemic started to expand, Khabib bailed out of the match and returned to Russia. White changed the main event to Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje, which generally wouldn’t garner as much interest. With so few sporting events taking place around the world, the match still would have sold PPV orders.

While not selling tickets to audiences reduces the spectator risks, participants and production crew members would face potential exposure. Disney and ESPN, already reeling for money lost from other endeavors suffering cancellation, appear consigned to financial declines. Besides, any money made from UFC 249 would put both entities at lawsuit risks. The two companies probably weren’t willing to deal with litigation and public relations nightmares, so they issued a stand-down order to White.

UFC 249 is not the only event now canceled. All future UFC Fight Night and PPVs are shut down. Don’t expect to see the UFC return as a full-time promotion until the coronavirus pandemic flatlines.

The UFC fight promotion will eventually bounce back. Fans rarely find themselves disappointed in the events. Hardcore fans are surely rooting for the return of the bouts. When the UFC does return with the pay-per-view, expect the business to be record levels.