UFC moves 2 cards to Las Vegas amid coronavirus pandemic

The March 28 event in Columbus, Ohio, and an April 11 card in Portland, Oregon, have been moved to the organization’s facility in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White announced Thursday night on ESPN.

The Apex Facility on the southern beltway holds a limited number of fans.

White said he spoke with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday about how best to proceed with events.

“They’re saying be cautious, be careful but live your life and quit panicking,” White said on “SportsCenter.”

Heavyweights Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik will headline the March 28 card, which lost a key bantamweight bout Thursday when former champion Cody Garbrandt pulled out of his fight against Raphael Assuncao because of a kidney issue.

The April 11 card is expected to be headlined by a heavyweight matchup between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris.

White also announced that Saturday’s card in Brasilia, Brazil, will proceed with no fans in the building after the government announced protocols to limit crowds. The event will air on ESPN and stream on ESPN Plus.

A March 21 card in London will proceed for now.

The UFC’s next pay-per-view card, headlined by a lightweight title bout between Tony Ferguson and champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, is April 18 in Brooklyn, New York. No changes have been announced, but New York has barred any event with a crowd larger than 500.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.