UFC President Dana White says that he spoke to President Donald Trump about the impact of the coronavirus, and he decided the show will go on.
However, the league has decided to hold fights without fans in attendance.
“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,” White told ESPN.
“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,” White added.
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
The next big UFC event is Saturday’s Fight Night 170, with Kevin Lee vs. Charles Oliveira as the main event.
White added that the UFC is “closely monitoring the situation with coronavirus and its potential impact on UFC athletes, staff and fans around the world.”
White also noted that they are considering moving events away from cities with larger outbreaks if need be.
“You know I hate this,” White concluded.
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