Dana White announced Thursday afternoon that UFC 249 is postponed as well as other fights the company had planned to go forward starting next Saturday. White indicated he received a call from the “highest level you can go at Disney, and the highest level at ESPN” in halting the plans of the promotion.
UFC 249 was scheduled to go forward with Tony Ferguson fighting Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title at Tachi Palace in Lemoore, California. Although he said that the company was ready to go with the event and future events, White stated he was told to “stand down” from going forward.
There may have been political pressure from Disney and ESPN considering that there were statements sent out from California senator Diane Feinstein and state Governor Gavin Newsom.
Feinstein’s statement read:
Governor Newsom went above White’s head by directly addressing Disney officials.
Payout Perspective:
White indicated that Fight Island was real and that they would still be working to making that a reality. He also stated that the UFC would not be laying off workers as a result. Fortunately, this event didn’t go forward despite fans wanting it to happen. Sometimes the adults have to step in to make tough decisions. This was one of them. Feinstein’s statement is correct as the UFC holding the event on tribal land could be a workaround that other organizations might do during this time. Moreover, the use of medical resources at this time seem selfish.
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