Report: Bellator will be cancelling three events in May, previously scheduled for San Jose, London, and Temecula, amid health concerns over the coronavirus.
Bellator has canceled its May 9 (San Jose), May 16 (London), May 29 (Temecula) events because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to multiple sources. Those were the promotion’s next three shows on their calendar.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 31, 2020
Per Ariel Helwani, Bellator MMA has chosen to cancel their shows scheduled for May amid global concerns over the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the ensuing disease (COVID-19). The news comes after the United States and much of the world has been practicing social distancing and been under quarantine for several weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.
Bellator’s slate of May shows was set to kick off the spring season for the promotion in a major way with several titles on the line involving some of their biggest names. Their May 9 show was poised to be an exciting return after a nearly two month hiatus featuring a stacked card involving double-champion Ryan Bader in a light-heavyweight clash against Vadim Nemkov and a fight between Gegard Mousasi and welterweight champion Douglas Lima for the vacant middleweight title.
The promotion also had a show on May 16 in London that was set to be headlined by Irish prospect James Gallegher in a rescheduled clash with Cal Ellenor. Later in the month on May 29, former two-time UFC title challenger Liz Carmouche was scheduled to make her promotional debut in a main event against Mandy Bohm in Temecula, California.
Notably, the news comes as many of the major sports leagues in the United States remain unsure about when competition will resume. While leagues like the NBA, MLB, and NHL continue to keep play suspended indefinitely, events from the UFC and Bellator had remained tentatively scheduled amid questions about when the situation surrounding COVID-19 would improve to the point that the events (even sans fans) could take place safely.
