UFC 249 at Tachi Palace canceled after outrage that event was flouted social distancing guidelines

Thursday, April 9, 2020
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- UFC 249, which was scheduled to be held at the Tachi Palace Casino Resort on April 18, has been canceled amid COVID-19 concerns.

UFC President Dana White told ESPN that the hyped-up event featuring a dozen mixed martial arts fights has been pushed back, under pressure from executives at Disney, the parent company of ESPN.
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"When the world gets back to normal, the California event will be at Tachi Palace," White told ESPN in an interview.

RELATED: Tachi Palace set to host televised UFC fights on April 18th

The event was earlier supposed to be held in a packed New York City arena but was canceled because of the coronavirus and the state's limit on large gatherings.
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The event was then moved to Tachi Palace. Kings County, where the venue is located, has issued a 'shelter in place' order for residents, but those rules do not apply on the sovereign tribal land.

That provided a legal loophole which would have allowed the fight to happen.

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