Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
In response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has voted to revoke all combat sports licenses until March 25.
This is according to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, who posted the following message via Twitter after NSAC met earlier this afternoon:
NSAC just voted in favor to revoke all combat sports licenses until March 25. Currently, this doesn’t affect the UFC as their next Vegas event is on 3/28. The next hearing is on 3/25. Nothing else was voted on.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 14, 2020
“NSAC just voted in favor to revoke all combat sports licenses until March 25. Currently, this doesn’t affect the UFC as their next Vegas event is on 3/28. The next hearing is on 3/25. Nothing else was voted on,” wrote Helwani.
NSAC executive director, Bob Bennett, released the following statement to ESPN:
“I’ve been in constant contact with a litany of doctors and medical professionals and am intimately familiar with most professional and amateur sports events being suspended at this point in time for an undetermined period. I will continue to collect information and speak with various medical experts and be prepared to provide the information to the chairman and commissioners on March 25.”
Earlier this week, UFC announced that it will not be closing up shop like fellow major sports organizations NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS. Instead, the premier MMA promotion has decided to move forward with their scheduled events, starting with today’s UFC Fight Night 170 card in Brasilia, Brazil, which is being hosted behind closed doors (full results HERE).
In addition, UFC has been forced to change venues for a few upcoming events as a result of the widespread virus. One being UFC on ESPN 8 on Mar. 28, which is moving from Columbus to Las Vegas, and the other being UFC Fight Night 172 on Apr. 11, which is moving from Portland to Las Vegas.
Fortunately, both events are scheduled to take place beyond Mar. 25 so UFC may still be able to host each fight card from it’s state-of-the-art Apex Center in Las Vegas. NSAC is scheduled to meet again on Mar. 25 so things could change after that point.
UFC 249, which is scheduled to take place on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York, is also a candidate to be moved to the Apex Center in Las Vegas. That event is expected to feature a highly-anticipated clash between undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and streaking contender Tony Ferguson.
Stick with Mania for ongoing updates.