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Friday, Mar 20, 2020

“Big” John McCarthy Weighs-in on UFC’s Plans to Move Forward With UFC 249

Michael Chandler and John McCarthy (right) (photo via Bellator / YouTube)

By FCF Staff

UFC President Dana White continues to insist that the promotion will find a way to hold UFC 249, despite the ongoing, coronavirus pandemic, and recently “Big” John McCarthy weighed-in on that plan.

Despite the widespread restrictions on holding large public gatherings, and various travel bans, White says UFC 249, and Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson will proceed. White initially had hoped to not cancel any UFC events, but recently the promotion postponed shows for March 21st, 28th and April 11th. The UFC also proceeded with a card, behind closed doors, last weekend in Brasilia, Brazil.

Bellator, meanwhile, has postponed all its events until May 9th, and at that time, it will evaluate whether it will resume operations.

Recently the legendary referee, and Bellator commentator, McCarthy, spoke with MMA Junkie Radio. While discussing Bellator’s response to the coronavirus and the UFC’s, McCarthy said (quote via MMA Junkie):

“The other side that I look at, I look at sports as the relief from the hardships of life,” McCarthy said. “Sports makes those moments you can forget about all the hard times, and you focus on your team, your fighter, whatever it is. You can just put those hardships away for that moment and enjoy. At least the UFC allowed people to have that moment again. There’s two sides to every story, and I’m not saying I think the UFC is wrong. They made a decision. They’re in a different position than what Bellator is in. …

“In the end, I hate to say, but this is a very litigious society. Liability is a business.”

And while expanding on his comment about a “litigious society”, McCarthy stated:

“…if you did run the show or running shows like the UFC is trying to do, eventually it comes down to, no matter what, you’re gonna take the owner of the UFC, or the president being Dana, and put him on the stand and ask some simple questions.

“‘Mr. White, did you know that the President of the United States declared a national emergency?’ He’s gonna have to say yes. ‘Did you know that the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NHL all suspended their seasons to keep people from being brought together or their athletes from being in contact with each other … did you know that they halted their seasons?’ And he’s gonna have to say yes. And in the end, they’re just gonna look and say, ‘So making money was more important to you than the health and safety of your people.’ There’s no way you can defeat it if you’re putting on shows.”

“In the end, someone, somewhere, I see if something happens, someone gets (coronavirus), they can go after (the UFC) legally, and there’s no way they can cover themselves.”

As this is being written, no fighters signed by UFC or Bellator are reported to have the coronavirus.

posted by FCF Staff @ 7:00 am
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