The New York State Athletic Commission has informed the UFC that their pay-per-view on April 18 can no longer take place.
In a statement sent to MMA Fighting, the Commission confirms that they informed the promotion that the event cannot be held:
“Out of an abundance of caution and in line with recent guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control and New York State, the New York State Athletic Commission informed the UFC that UFC 249 cannot be held in NY.”
The news that UFC 249 being cancelled in Brooklyn doesn’t come as a total shock and the UFC President is currently searching for a new place to hold the highly anticipated fight card. White has been adamant on not canceling the planned Lightweight title match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
“Unless there’s a total shutdown of the country, where people can’t leave their houses and things like that, these fights will happen,” White said during his appearance on ESPN. “We’re going to move on. These fights will happen. These guys will compete. We will find venues, and we will figure this thing out. I mean, the only thing that’s going to stop us is a complete government shutdown, where everybody is confined to their homes. No crowd. Whatever it takes. Probably not even going to be in the United States, but this fight’s going to happen.”
There’s no word on where the pay-per-view could end up being held; however, with the March 21, March 28, and April 11 events being scarpped due to being unable to find an open venue, the chances of UFC 249 taking place appears to be slim right now.