8:32 PM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi Despite the UFC pulling out all the spots to try and make it happen, UFC 249 will no longer happen April 18. On Thursday, UFC president Dana White told ESPN’s
MMA
6:03 PM ET UFC 249 will not proceed on April 18, despite Dana White’s efforts to move forward with the pay-per-view event, the UFC president told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto on Thursday. “Today, we got a call from the highest level you can go at Disney, and the highest level at ESPN … and the powers
3:47 PM ET The manager for former UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas says she withdrew from UFC 249 due to two deaths in the family related to the coronavirus. “Her hopes are to return to the Octagon as soon as possible but for now we ask for people to respect their privacy during this
4:06 PM ET We may not get to see Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje square off on April 18 due to the postponement of UFC 249, but we can check out a number of their best fights on ESPN2 this Saturday night. MMA fans will be able to enjoy seven straight hours of action Saturday
9:00 AM ET “We literally met with every network, every sports network — from the big broadcasters, NBC, ABC, CBS, the obvious, ESPN — multiple times,” said Lorenzo Fertitta, the CEO of the UFC in 2004. “Met with anybody that would take a meeting. We couldn’t get anybody to bite because everybody was very concerned
9:24 PM ET Brett Okamoto Close ESPN Staff Writer MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Marc Raimondi The UFC is pressing forward with its UFC 249 pay-per-view event on April 18, just as the promotion’s president Dana White had promised. Of course, there have been significant changes
1:42 PM ET Sal D’Amato was sitting in the airport lounge, getting ready to board a flight to return to the United States just hours after the conclusion of UFC Brasilia — the promotion’s empty-arena event on March 14 in Brazil’s capital city. D’Amato, who is one of the most active mixed martial arts judges
7:36 PM ET UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje says he’ll have “18-to-19 minutes of pure hell” for Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on April 18, adding that he’s confident that will be enough to get it done. Gaethje (21-2) has agreed to face Ferguson (25-3) at an undisclosed location on short notice. The 31-year-old has notoriously
7:00 AM ET Devin Gordon IF THIS STORY WERE a prizefight, Bruce Buffer would get introduced first. He’s the challenger, after all, the baby brother by 13 years. Coming up in the shadow of a legend drove him to find his own voice, conquer his own sport, be his own Buffer. And so he should
12:37 PM ET UFC 249 will go on as planned on April 18, although it will look a little different than originally scheduled, as a heavyweight bout with massive championship implications has been added. The coronavirus pandemic, which has effectively shut down the sports world, forced the UFC to move the card from Brooklyn, New