As first reported by Jeff Sherwood, the UFC will hold its April 18th event and the next 4 UFC events at the Tachi Palace in Lemoore, California. UFC 249 features Tony Ferguson as he fights Justin Gaethje for the interim UFC lightweight title.
The event is on tribal land in Central California as the California State Athletic Commission is not regulating these events as it has halted all combat sports within its jurisdiction until the end of May. Since the Tachi Palace is on tribal land, it does not regulate events there. Its anticipated that the UFC will act as its own regulatory body. The question of whether the fights will be recognized by the commission has yet to be addressed by a representative from California. The Association of Ringside Physicians released a statement on Monday requesting the suspension of all combat sports.
The Tachi Palace held regional MMA cards in the past including the former World
Extreme Championship promotion. It is 40
miles south of Fresno and is very close to the training gym of lightweight
champion Khabib Nurmogomedov. The irony
is that Khabib left the U.S. to Abu Dhabi and then back home to Dagestan
thinking that due to the COVID-19 concerns the event would be held outside the
U.S. Instead, it would have been a short
drive to the venue if he had stayed.
Despite the lack of original content on ESPN at this time, UFC 249 will remain on PPV on its ESPN+ digital platform.
Payout Perspective:
Even with a venue found on tribal land, there are still logistical concerns about the health and safety of fighters.
Athletes routinely need medical attention immediately after fights. How's that going to work out in the rural Central Valley, where medical resources are already strapped?
— Susie Cagle (@susie_c) April 8, 2020
Anticipating that the UFC will employ its own medical staff during these events, most injuries of fighters should be addressed but that is not the most pressing issue. The concern is of catastrophic injuries or unforeseen ones like a heart attack of a worker. Would there be medical help that could provide immediate assistance. Moreover, the overarching concern about the risk of spreading COVID-19 unbeknownst to individuals is huge at this moment. Cross your fingers nothing bad happens during these events.
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