The UFC has postponed its April 18 UFC 249 pay-per-view event on the advice of its television partner ESPN, according to both parties.
The mixed martial arts organization had planned to stage the event at a California location, but decided to postpone the event and all future UFC shows for the foreseeable future.
“While the organization was fully prepared to proceed with UFC 249, ESPN has requested the postponement of the event and subsequent bouts until further notice in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the UFC said in a statement Thursday.
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ESPN released its own statement, saying that the network “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.”
The decision comes less than a week after the WWE held its two-day WrestleMania 36 PPV event on April 11-12 at its Orlando facilities.
