In the end, it was a mouse that roared a halt to UFC 249. Disney, the parent company of UFC broadcast partner ESPN, called UFC president Dana White on Thursday to ask him to “stand down.” As White relayed in an interview with ESPN, until that moment, he stood ready to produce an April 18 show that was still being revamped due to travel restrictions and other logistical issues before agreeing to his partners’ request.
That decision, applauded by some and loathed by others, brings a close to one of the most surreal stories MMA has seen.