NSAC suspends all combat sports indefinitely due to coronavirus
(https:)UFC president Dana White’s plans to keep hosting UFC events may have just gotten a lot harder. The Nevada State Athletic Commission held a meeting Saturday, in which it suspended all combat sporting events indefinitely due to the threat of coronavirus, according to The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger.
Brazilian commission not testing UFC Brasilia fighters for coronavirus
(https:)UFC Brasilia fighters are not being tested for coronavirus ahead of Saturday night’s event in Brazil, CABMMA COO Cristiano Sampaio confirmed to MMA Fighting.
Members of multiple teams told MMA Fighting on Thursday that no testing had been done throughout the week to check for coronavirus, and Sampaio explained the thought process behind the decision.
Conor McGregor vents on coronavirus after aunt's death: 'This stupid (expletive) virus'
(https:)Add Conor McGregor to the list of people feeling the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.
In a lengthy statement issued in an Instagram post Friday, former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) expressed his frustration with COVID-19. In addition to a self-assessment of hygiene and hand-shaking, McGregor revealed his aunt, Anne Moore, has died.
Dana White details UFC’s coronavirus plan: ‘Instead of panicking, we’re working with doctors’
(https:)The UFC is not hitting pause on its spring event schedule, but it will make adjustments to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The promotion expects to promote its UFC Brasilia event on Saturday as a staff-only affair at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium, UFC President Dana White confirmed to ESPN on Thursday night. White added a March 21 event in London will for now go on as scheduled, while UFC on ESPN 8, scheduled for March 28, will take place at the APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
White did not detail the promotion’s plans beyond the UFC on ESPN 8, but a separate UFC press release issued at the same time as his appearance confirmed an earlier report that an event scheduled for April 11 in Portland, Ore., will also be moved to the APEX. Plans for UFC 249, set for April 18 in Brooklyn, N.Y., where state governor Andrew Cuomo recently declared a ban on events with more than 500 people, were also not addressed.
White, speaking via telephone, talked tough about health and safety measures undertaken to protect fighters, using a well-worn statement that the promotion has never had a death or serious injury in its 25-year history. The executive said the promotion has worked with health experts, state officials and doctors to develop a response to the virus, which includes infrared thermometers to screen fighters before they compete...
UFC's prolonged silence on coronavirus speaks volumes | Opinion
(https:)Just two weeks ago, President Donald J. Trump’s take on coronavirus was that “it’s going to disappear. One day, like a miracle, it’s going to disappear.”
Less than a week ago, the sports executive with the closest public ties to Trump, UFC president Dana White, blithely declared “I don’t give a (expletive) about the coronavirus” in an interview with TSN...
Joanna Jedrzejczyk gives update on hematoma, will undergo surgery in Poland
(https:)Joanna Jedrzejczyk has given a positive update after the epic battle she endured in her last fight.
Jedrzejczyk was narrowly edged out by UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili at this past weekend’s UFC 248 in Las Vegas, suffering a split-decision loss in a five-round thriller. The damaged she suffered was visually evident, including a massive hematoma on her head, leaving her with some serious swelling on her face.
Apology accepted, but Chan Sung Jung tells Brian Ortega 'I'll see you in the octagon'
(https:)There might be only one way for Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega to settle their beef once and for all.
After going back-and-forth for months, with “The Korean Zombie” accusing Ortega of ducking him, their rivalry reached new heights when Ortega was escorted out of the arena for slapping Jung’s manager, rapper Jay Park, during this past weekend’s UFC 248 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ortega subsequently issued a brief apology and then followed it up with a more lengthy statement, addressing both Park and Jung.
Jung (16-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) then took to Instagram to respond to Ortega (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), issuing an apology of his own, but making it very clear that he would like their previously scheduled UFC on ESPN+ 23 bout rebooked once he’s able to return from eye surgery.
Forrest Griffin reacts to UFC naming community service award after him
(https:)The UFC’s newest award has been named for Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin.
The Las Vegas-based promotion recently launched the Forrest Griffin Community Award in honor of the former UFC light heavyweight champion and season one winner of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The award recognizes UFC athletes who do volunteer and charity work in efforts to better their community.
For his part, Griffin was humble about the idea of having an award named in his honor.
Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till targeted for UFC Dublin
(https:)It took a little longer than expected, but Robert Whittaker and Darren Till finally got their booking.
The former middleweight champ and the one-time welterweight title challenger have agreed to a headliner at UFC Dublin, which takes place Aug. 15 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. ESPN.com first reported the matchup, and a person with knowledge of the targeted middleweight booking confirmed the news to MMA Fighting.
UFC Dublin is expected to stream on ESPN+. Currently, no other fights have been announced for the card.
Brian Ortega, coach Rener Gracie issue apologies to Jay Park, 'Korean Zombie' over UFC 248 slap
(https:)It appears Brian Ortega has changed his tune from his initial statement.
Ortega was unhappy with some of the things Park had said when translating Jung’s words, accusing Ortega of ducking him when he pulled out of their UFC on ESPN+ 23 headliner due to a knee injury late last year.
So when Ortega saw Park at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, he confronted him by slapping him in the face while Jung was at the bathroom. Ortega issued a statement after the altercation, giving a backhanded apology that he later deleted.
Park hasn’t pressed charges and said he likely won’t, which would spare Ortega from any legal issues. On Tuesday night, Ortega took to Twitter to issued what he called an official apology to Park, telling Jung that he’ll be waiting for him until he’s recovered from his eye injury.
Ortega’s jiu-jitsu coach and mentor, Rener Gracie, also issued an apology over social media to Jung, who attended one of his seminars a few years ago in Korea. Jung was unhappy with Gracie’s comment when he defended Ortega’s actions for “slapping an instigator.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov refuses to take a jab at Tony Ferguson over his mental health
(https:)Ahead of their clash at UFC 249 in April, Nurmagomedov and Ferguson traded verbal barbs during a pre-fight press conference last week in Las Vegas. During the question and answer session, a reporter brought up Ferguson’s mental health after reports surfaced last year that his wife filed a restraining order against him while asking that he undergo a psychiatric evaluation for his alleged behavior.
Ferguson fired back as he shut down the question by shouting “f*ck you” and leaving the subject closed.
While not nearly as animated as his upcoming opponent, Nurmagomedov seems to agree with Ferguson on mental health and the issues he dealt with at home one year ago.
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