Don’t expect Showtime and Stephen Espinoza to follow the UFC’s lead in attempting to book shows.
UFC president Dana White has remained adamant that UFC 249 will still go ahead on April 18 amid the coronavirus pandemic. He has even revealed that he plans on resuming the fight schedule following that event.
As a result, White has received plenty of criticism from the media for not taking the coronavirus seriously and putting his employees and fighters at risk — especially when virtually every other sports league around the world has postponed or canceled their events.
But what if UFC 249 goes ahead with no problems? Would that lead to other combat sports promoters following suit? That’s a “hard pass” for Showtime Sports President Espinoza, who plays a key role in booking and promoting boxing events.
“Hard pass. I won’t be following his lead on these matters,” Espinoza said on Friday.
Bellator was among the first mixed martial arts promotions to postpone their upcoming events while they also compensated fighters their show money. And following the Viacom and CBS merger late last year, it was reported that Bellator notably reports to Espinoza now.
So by the looks of things, don’t expect either Showtime or Bellator to attempt to book any events while the pandemic continues to put a halt on life around the world.
What do you think of White still trying to book shows?