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UFC heavyweight title contender Francis Ngannou was originally scheduled to collide with fellow 265-pound smashing machine Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the upcoming UFC on ESPN 8 main event later this month inside Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, but the coronavirus pandemic has but the kibosh on those plans.
Instead, “The Predator” will throw hands with “Bigi Boy” at the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, with no fans in attendance. That doesn’t seem to bother Ngannou, who expects to entertain viewers regardless of his location.
“Doesn’t matter where the fight is at, we’re still going to perform and put on the fun for the fans stuck at home,” Ngannou wrote on Twitter. “Happy that UFC found a way to make this happen at the UFC Apex. One of the most state of the art facilities in sports. Let’s go #areyounotentertained.”
In addition to UFC Columbus, the promotion was also forced to move the UFC Portland event to the APEX facility. As for UFC Brasilia and UFC London, those will proceed as planned; however, fans will not be allowed to attend either event.
As of this writing, no decision has been made on the upcoming UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) in Brooklyn. The state of New York currently has a ban of large gatherings in effect, so that would need to be lifted before April 18.