There were fears that Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 event was going to have to be cancelled. This came after Ibeanis Rocha, the governor of the Brazilian capital city, Brasilia, declared a ban on all large gatherings due to an outbreak of coronavirus that is sweeping the world.
It now seems that the event will go ahead but with no fans. At this time the UFC has neither confirmed nor denied if this is the case. Brazilian outlet Combate is reporting that the event will take place as planned in the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium, however, the 16,000 seat arena will be empty.
The Thursday media day and Friday’s ceremonial weigh-in have been cancelled with only the official weigh-in taking place.
With the UK set to move to the delay stage in the fight to combat the Coronavirus, it now seems likely that the UFC London event, due on 21st March may also have to go ahead with no fans. It is widely expected that the UK government are about to ban large public gatherings within a matter of hours, with sporting events like football and MMA shows about to take a hit.
UFC Brasilia features Kevin Lee v Charles Oliveira as a main event and also has Demian Maia, Johnny Walker and Francisco Trinaldo.
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