Many professional sports are cancelling their events because of the coronavirus. But, according to Dana White, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is not letting this pandemic stop its fights from taking place.
UFC To Continue Their Fights Despite Coronavirus
TMZ reported that UFC President Dana White announced that UFC fights will continue. The announcement came after White spoke with both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence about the coronavirus.
However, the UFC is being very smart about it – the fights will continue without fans in attendance. Only the fighters, cornermen, referees, judges, broadcast crew, and other necessary staff will be allowed in the venue.
During an interview with ESPN white said:
“I talked to the President and the Vice President of the United States today about this and they’re taking this very serious and they’re saying ‘be cautious and be careful but live your life and stop panicking.'”
“Everybody is panicking and instead of panicking we’re actually getting out there and working with doctors and health officials and the government to figure out how to keep the sport safe and how we can continue to put on events,” he continued.
Dana White says he spoke with President Trump and Vice President Pence and they advised him to move forward with events “They’re saying be cautious, be careful but live your life and quit panicking” pic.twitter.com/LtUEGyo9jr
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) March 13, 2020
RELATED: Coronavirus Rocks Country Music World To Its Core – Top Artists Cancel Tours
UFC’s Next Fight Is Saturday
The UFC is currently scheduled to host UFC Fight Night 170 in Brazil on Saturday night with no fans in attendance. The main event is set to be Kevin Lee vs. Charles Oliveira.
White explained in a statement that the UFC is “closely monitoring the situation with coronavirus and its potential impact on UFC athletes, staff and fans around the world.”
He added that other events scheduled in various cities and countries may be moved to the UFC APEX arena in Las Vegas. And, all the events will be broadcast so fans will still get to enjoy them.
“You know I hate this,” White said in a video about the situation. List to what else he has to say:
“We’re going to make sure that two healthy athletes are competing and we’re good to go,” White said when he was asked how he plans to keep his athletes
“We’ve talked to everybody about this. Every time we put on an event, we always go overboard. In the over 25 years that the UFC has been around, there’s never been a death or serious injury.”
RELATED: Tom Hanks’ Sons Post Update On Actor’s Coronavirus Diagnosis
White’s Attitude Is Refreshing
We must say that White’s attitude is refreshing. The mainstream media is so eager to blame the coronavirus on President Trump as much as possible. To the point they now have riled everyone up into believing that this is the end of the world.
Many organizations and musicians are having to cancel all of their events.
In contrast, White is staying level-headed and grounded and using logic during this pandemic. After consulting with the president of the United States, White realized that this is not a moment to panic.
Instead of cancelling his events, he will keep them going for now and monitor the coronavirus situation closely.