UFC 249 to take place on tribal land in California
UFC 249 finally has a home.
The April 18 pay-per-view card will take place at Tachi Palace Casino Resort outside of Lemoore, California, people close to the organization confirmed Wednesday.
The land is owned by the Tachi-Yokut Tribe and is not subject to stay-at-home orders enacted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. However, the casino has been closed since March 20 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fans won’t be allowed to attend the event.
UFC president Dana White has said he would not reveal the card’s location out of concern that media scrutiny could pressure local authorities to reconsider hosting an event while the rest of the sports world is shut down.
During an appearance Wednesday on ESPN, White declined comments on reports that Tachi Palace would be the site.
“I know that several news sources are putting out places where they think it is,” White said. “ESPN is where it is. That’s all you need to know. It doesn’t matter where it is. First of all, no fans can come.
”You can’t come to the fight, you can’t buy a ticket. The only place to watch this in the United States is on ESPN, and that’s the only thing that matters.”
ESPN will broadcast the preliminary card, with the pay-per-view distributed exclusively through ESPN Plus.
UFC 249, headlined by an interim lightweight title bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, will not be sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission. The CSAC has canceled all events through May 31 under guidance from Newsom.
“First and foremost, the commission’s priority is the health and safety of fighters and the public,” the CSAC wrote in a statement. “The commission echoes the guidance of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Department of Public Health, local health officials and the recommendations of the Association of Ringside Physicians regarding the cancellation of events where people may be at risk of contracting COVID-19 and encourages the industry to do the same. The commission will not participate in the UFC event on April 18, regardless of the event location.”
The ARP issued a recommendation this week that all combat sporting events should be postponed until further notice.
UFC has self-sanctioned events in the past when visiting areas with no athletic commission. Marc Ratner, a former executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission and current UFC executive, typically serves in a regulatory role in those instances.
White, who did not respond to a request for comment for this story, said all fighters, coaches and staff members would be subject to coronavirus testing.
“You’re safer being at this event with me than actually being at home or going to the grocery store,” he said on ESPN. “I promise you that.”
UFC 249 was originally scheduled for Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. White had been in search of a venue and said this week that he had locked up a location to hold events for the next two months.
He also has indicated he is close to finalizing a deal to secure a private island to hold international fights for athletes who can’t travel to the United States.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.