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Hard times lie ahead for fighters and the entirety of the MMA community.
On Monday, the UFC made it official that three upcoming events—originally scheduled for London, Columbus, Ohio, and Portland, Ore.—are indefinitely postponed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. Decrees laid down by local government to eliminate mass gatherings led to Dana White announcing that the promotion was working to re-locate the events, but the decision was eventually made to cancel them for the time being.
Notable names like Francis Ngannou, Leon Edwards, and Matt Brown were set to compete at the postponed events and any concerns they had about their respective opponents has now been replaced by uncertainty over when their next fight will be.
Check out their reactions to the news, along with more fighters who have been affected by the cancellations.
I’m sorry to hear of the recent postponement of the next three UFC events, including my fight on March 28. I look forward to working with the @ufc and @danawhite on a replacement date and location. Until then, everyone stay safe as best they can. Hope to see you soon. pic.twitter.com/LAIurybFBI
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) March 17, 2020
Tell me it’s not real https://t.co/Bw6CEYSbjQ
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) March 16, 2020
This fight going to happen after we get back to normal programming don’t try run now kid, fuck Covington the weasel pic.twitter.com/3nylGOjHTU
— Leon 'Rocky' Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) March 16, 2020
A fight can happen with 10 ppl in the room. It’s one of the few sports that can do this at the professional level. I’m with @danawhite on this all day. Let us get paid and entertain you.
— Justin Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje) March 17, 2020
Don’t get greedy @danawhite we don’t need an undercard, we just want Ferg vs Khabib with a red. Problem solved
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 17, 2020
Go to Singapore, they have situation under control. https://t.co/M5zpD9pvHg
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 17, 2020
lot of people with the “I told you so” comments happy the ufc shows got canceled but what you don’t realize is that the fighters can’t get paid and other than fighting most guys work as trainers in gyms (also closed) so best believe if I get a call to fight on an island I will
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) March 16, 2020
Honestly, at this point guys who need to make ends meet should start livestreaming sparring sessions on youtube. I honestly think the hardcores will take whatever they can get. And if nothing else it keeps the spirit of MMA alive kinda . #MMA #UFC
— Louis Smolka (@LASTSAMURAIUFC) March 16, 2020
Ok guys so I got permission from coach @Lowkick to livestream our sparring this saturday at 12:00 PT everyone will be sparring southpaw and if this gets enough views we will see where it goes. Follow me on twitch https://t.co/62uefpKziq https://t.co/is1Eg9VPDs
— Louis Smolka (@LASTSAMURAIUFC) March 16, 2020
It’s been a long camp, almost 10 weeks. Injuries and getting staph and getting over it. Getting ready to make weight I can say I’m gutted not to fight and get a chance for all this to worth something. #ufc
— éS (@EricSpicely) March 16, 2020
MARCH 28 Columbus Ohio ⚠️fight postponed undefinitely⚠️stay home be safe I hope to see you all when this clear out pic.twitter.com/Q9kGSrUbRB
— Yorgan”the mad titan”Decastro (@DecastroYorgan) March 17, 2020
Wow! This has been an extended training camp! pic.twitter.com/jqkaNE97oF
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) March 16, 2020
Tyson flew to Cali to train for my fight that’s been cancelled and his car just got towed @TysonNam
— Ricky Simón (@RickySimonUFC) March 16, 2020
All my jobs are shut down till further notice. My sponsorship are postponed. As of right now I have no money coming in.
— Julian marquez (@JMarquezMMA) March 16, 2020
And I’m still making payments on insurance, homes/ utilities and more. ♂️ wild times #marketcrash #coronavirus
If nobody can work then how are people expected to pay bills? #squatter
— Chas Skelly (@ChasSkelly) March 16, 2020
Sauna” DB be ready for any call from @ufc Short notice #ready @danawhite @seanshelby @mmacoachwink pic.twitter.com/OSR98Vrh36
— Diego Brandao #UFC #RIZIN #RCC_MMA #FNG (@DiegoBrandaoMMA) March 17, 2020
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