UFC 249 Officially A No-Go in Brooklyn By New York Athletic Commission

By FIGHTSPORTS Mar 18, 2020 Last updated Mar 18, 2020

Dana White has been insistent that Khabib Nurmagomedov v. Tony Ferguson will still be going on. It just won’t be taking place inside the Barclays Center.

Governor Andrew Cuomo banned big events from taking place in New York, while President Trump and the CDC stated that events with more than 10+ people should not take place. This is due to the coronavirus affecting the entire world. Regardless, the UFC has decided to keep the show going. They recently had an event in Brasilia with no fans, and while they had to cancel three events, the UFC wants this fight to happen.

Now, the New York Athletic Commission has stepped in to officially announce the fight will not be taking place inside the Barclays Center.

“Out of an abundance of caution and in line with recent guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control and New York State, the New York State Athletic Commission informed the UFC that UFC 249 cannot be held in NY.,” the commission stated, via MMA Fighting.

It is unknown if anywhere in the United States would allow this fight to happen. The Nevada Athletic Commission put a full stop to events related to combat sports through March 25, and it could expand further. All over the country events are stopping.

One option could be overseas. Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap, stated that the United Arab Emirates could host UFC 249, seeing how the area has been a partner with the UFC for a number of years. An advantage could be the heat, per Abdulmanap.

Dana is convinced events will still happen. He initially didn’t take the coronavirus seriously. Speaking to SportsCenter, the UFC’s fearless leader will continue to try and host events in the United States.

“Unless there’s a total shutdown of the country, where people can’t leave their houses and things like that, these fights will happen,” White said. “We’re gonna move on. These fights will happen. These guys will compete. We will find venues, and we will figure this thing out. I mean, the only thing that’s gonna stop us is a complete government shutdown, where everybody is confined to their homes.”