UFC: Dana White says Donald Trump told him ‘stop panicking’ over coronavirus
- UFC president receives advice from US president and vice-president Mike Pence over escalating outbreak
- ‘They’re saying be cautious, be careful, but live your life,’ says White, who will run UFC events behind closed doors
Major sports leagues and organisations across the world are suspending matches and events, or banning live audiences, amid global escalation of the coronavirus, and the UFC is no different.
There had been fears the UFC would cancel upcoming events including the highly anticipated showdown between lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson in Brooklyn on April 18.
But UFC president Dana White revealed he spoke directly with US president Donald Trump and vice-president Mike Pence, who advised him to “stop panicking”.
“Think about our sport, we always go overboard with health and safety and that’s what we’re gonna do here,” White, who recently spoke at a Trump campaign rally in Colorado, told ESPN’s SportsCenter. “I talked to the president and the vice-president today about this, and they’re taking this very serious.
“They’re saying be cautious, 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 we keep the sport safe and continue to put on events.”
The UFC’s next two shows, in Brasilia at the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium this weekend and Columbus later this month, will both be held behind closed doors, White confirmed. The Ohio show will be moved from the Nationwide Arena to the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, though UFC London will go ahead at the O2 Arena on March 21 as things stand.