UFC 249 Officially Cancelled After Execs at Disney and ESPN Tell Dana White to ‘Stand Down’

Earlier this week we reported that UFC president Dana White was planning to host UFC 249 and any future events on a private island in an undisclosed location as per his claims. However, it turns out that was never his plan all along.

The fights were actually going to be held on a Native land at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino Resort in Lemoore, California, as confirmed by White during an interview with reporter Brett Okamoto at ESPN.

In an interview, White also confirmed that:

Today, we got a call from the highest level you can go at Disney, and the highest level at ESPN... and the powers that be there asked me to stand down and not do this event on Saturday.

ESPN is also currently the broadcast partner for the UFC so it makes sense that Dana would have to bow down to the executives there.

However, White's stubbornness knows no limits and he told Okamoto that he still plans to promote 42 other events this year.

With almost the whole world on lockdown or practising social distancing due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, we can only imagine that he'll be promoting more events that are already dead before they start.