UFC 249 canceled, all events postponed indefinitely

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UFC 249 has been canceled and all events are postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, UFC president Dana White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto on Thursday.

The pay-per-view card was scheduled to take place April 18, with a main event of Tony Ferguson versus Justin Gaethje.

White told Okamoto he got a call from top executives at Disney and ESPN asking him to "stand down and not do this event next Saturday."

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein wrote in a statement published earlier Thursday that she was "concerned" the UFC had plans to move forward with the April 18 card.

"We have to be responsible and mindful of all local, state, and federal public health guidelines," the senator wrote. "Going ahead with this event is not the right move."

The UFC had been adamant about moving forward with its scheduled slate of events despite the COVID-19 outbreak. The promotion was forced to postpone three events from March 21 to April 11, but it planned to hold the April 18 card at a location in the United States with no fans and resume operations after that. White said Monday he had a venue locked in for the next two months and planned to host several events there.

White had initially refused to reveal the new planned location for UFC 249 and future events, but he said Thursday that it was indeed Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, California, as reports indicated. The event would not have fallen under the jurisdiction of the California State Athletic Commission or been subject to the stay-at-home order issued in March by California Gov. Gavin Newsom because the venue is located on tribal land.

White said he will "make things right" with the fighters who were scheduled to compete at UFC 249 and said he intends to "take care of as many people as I possibly can."

"All of my fighters that are under contract with me, I want them to feel safe, take time with your families," White said. "Enjoy this time. Don't worry about the financial part of this. You're gonna get the fights on your contract."

White said he plans to hold an event at Tachi Palace once the UFC resumes operations because the venue "has had our back this whole time."

"I'm gonna bring them a big fight," he said. "I appreciate them standing with me in this thing."

White said the plans he revealed earlier this week to host future events at a private island are still in place. He said Thursday that fighters will be able to travel to the island early to train, and he estimates the venue will be ready in about a month.

"'Fight Island' is real. It's a real thing," White said. "The infrastructure is being built right now. That's really gonna happen."

UFC 249 was expected to feature several other bouts, including Francis Ngannou versus Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Calvin Kattar versus Jeremy Stephens, and Greg Hardy against Yorgan De Castro.

White vowed that the UFC will resume operations as soon as possible.

"We will be the first sport back," he said.