UFC San Diego is unlikely to be hosted in San Diego, or anywhere else in California, next month. Per a report by MMA Fighting, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has shut down all combat sports in the state through the end of May.
That puts the UFC’s Fight Night card in San Diego directly in the crosshairs. The event, which is expected to be headlined by lightweights Dan Hooker and Dustin Poirier, was booked for May 16.
UFC London, UFC Columbus (UFC on ESPN 8), and UFC Portland have all been postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The promotion has stubbornly pushed forward with plans to host UFC 249 on April 18, even after losing lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is stuck in Russia due to a travel ban.
Like that PPV event, UFC San Diego is now a card without a home. While the possibility of relocating the event exists, the question will be, to where? A lot will rest of how the month of April plays out, but mid-May seems like a very optimistic timeline for mass gathering bans, instituted through much of the world to slow the spread of the virus, to be lifted.
Earlier today, Japan’s RIZIN Fighting Federation cancelled both RIZIN 22 later this month, and RIZIN 23 on May 17. Japan has an almost minuscule number of coronavirus infections at this point, compared to much of the world, and especially the U.S. Despite an aging population, Japan currently stands at under 2,400 infections, with 57 reported deaths as of this writing.
In contrast, the United States now has over 240,000 confirmed infections.
