G. Newsom, governor of California, had a direct role in canceling the UFC 249. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @gavinnewsom
When officially announced the postponement of UFC 249, scheduled to take place on April 18, Ultimate's president, Dana White, made it clear that 'greater forces' forced him to give in and paralyze the company's activities due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to the request from the top brass at 'ESPN', the governor of the state of California (USA), Gavin Newsom, had direct participation in the decision, as the show was being scheduled to take place in a casino located on an indigenous reservation in his territory. . The information was released by the 'New York Times'.
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Dana was strategic when choosing the 'Tachi Palace Casino Resort', as the space is installed in a location that is considered a 'Sovereign State', that is, current national laws do not apply to the region. Therefore, the preventive measures adopted in the North American territory would not be valid in the Hotel.
Knowing of the possibility of Ultimate taking its event to the indigenous reservation, Governor Gavin, even without absolute power over the actions taken in the casino region, decided to contact those responsible for Disney, which owns 'ESPN' and assumes the UFC broadcasting rights, and asked that the show not be held on the scheduled date.
In the official statement made last Thursday night (9), White made a point of stating that the decision to cancel the event came exclusively from his partners and that he was prepared to carry out the show with all the necessary safety so as not to risk his health. of those involved in the card.
After the shutdown, there is still no forecast for when the company will return to its normal activities. Dana, however, stated that, at the moment, the organization is working on adapting an island so that the fights can be taken to space, even during the quarantine period.
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