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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) — like every other major sports organization in the world — is having to shift gears in response to the coronavirus outbreak. According to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, the upcoming UFC Fight Night 172 event, which is set to go down on April 11 in Portland, Oregon, will be moved to Las Vegas, Nevada.
The ESPN+-streamed event featuring a heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris, will now take place inside the promotion’s Apex Facility (pictures here), which is equipped with a full-sized Octagon.
All facts! I’m here now! https://t.co/kruOV0ZSRk
— Walt Harris (@thebigticket205) March 12, 2020
While the promotion does stage its “Contender Series” at the facility, it has never actually held a major card there. Furthermore, fight fans will likely not be able to attend due to it’s limited seating, with only certain media members and UFC officials likely occupying the space.
Earlier today, it was announced that UFC Fight Night 171, which is set to go down this Sat. (March 14) in Brasilia, Brazil, will go on as planned, though fight fans will not be able to attend. Plus, the highly-anticipated lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson could also be moved to “Sin City” after New York imposed a ban on public gatherings comprised of more than 500 people.
As always, keep it tuned to MMAmania.com for the latest news regarding these developing substations.