UFC cancels card originally set for April 18

UFC 249 was canceled April 9 after ESPN and parent company Disney stopped UFC President Dana White’s plan to keep fighting amid the coronavirus pandemic.

After defiantly vowing for weeks to maintain a regular schedule of fights while the rest of the sports world halted, White announced the decision to cease competition on ESPN, the UFC’s broadcast partner.

UFC 249 was scheduled for April 18 on ESPN Plus pay-per-view, and White planned to follow it with weekly fight cards.