U.F.C. 249 Is Off After Requests From California, Disney and ESPN

The Tachi-Yokut Tribe, part of the federally recognized Santa Rosa Indian Community, owns the Tachi Palace Casino Resort. They have sovereignty over their land and can set whatever rules they want, though the casino was closed the night of March 20 because of the pandemic. But because of a nearly 70-year-old federal law, Public Law 280, California state and local officials have broad authority to intervene in criminal and civil matters on tribal land.

By expressing their concerns to Disney, California state officials avoided a potentially complicated and uncomfortable situation with the Tachi-Yokut.

The U.F.C. had previously canceled three events that were scheduled for March and April, and White said on Thursday that his efforts to keep U.F.C. 249 intact had been “a battle since Day 1.” He has insisted that he was being cautious and could safely hold the fights even amid a pandemic and despite a number of medical, legal and regulatory challenges.

As recently as Wednesday night, the event’s key stakeholders were adamant that it would go ahead, noting that the U.F.C. was able to host fights in an empty arena in Brazil last month.

“Precedent has been set, and Dana knows that he can pull this off in a very safe and controlled way that will keep his fighters and the crew safe,” Mark Shapiro, the president of Endeavor, said in a telephone interview Wednesday night. Endeavor led the group that purchased the U.F.C. in 2016.

Disney is based in Burbank, Calif., and has extensive financial interests in the state, through its theme parks, movie and television studios, and its Pixar and Lucasfilm subsidiaries. ESPN does not control U.F.C.’s fight schedule, but it has substantial influence over the company given the strong financial ties between the two organizations.

“These are people that I am partners with, people whom I have a lot of respect with, and I’m going to do it, I’m going to say yes,” White said about the requests from Disney and ESPN to postpone the fight.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/sports/ufc-249-canceled.html