On Thursday, the UFC president announced that UFC 249 on April 18 and all upcoming events would be postponed indefinitely. The move comes during the coronavirus pandemic, which has shut down virtually every major sport across the globe.
Ultimately, White says the decision to postpone all upcoming shows came down to a personal request from the UFC’s broadcast partners at ESPN, who were slated to televise the events.
“I respect ESPN,” White said during an Instagram Live chat. “They’ve been an amazing partner to us since day one. Them asking me to stand down, there’s no way I wouldn’t not do it.