Combat sports are facing a tough time of things right now as the worldwide coronavirus pandemic threatens to spiral out of control.
Mixed martial arts, boxing and wrestling have all been affected and the situation appears set to continue for the foreseeable future.
With the issue causing plenty of disruption, we take a look at the latest state-of-play across the world of combat sports.
White insists the show must go on
The UFC has already postponed three events due to coronavirus, but it has insisted that the clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson will happen.
Nurmagomedov is a big favorite in the 888 UFC betting to win the fight, which was originally scheduled to take place in New York on April 18.
UFC boss Dana White is desperate for the bout to go ahead and has said that it may be staged outside of the United States.
White has suggested the fight could take place on a reservation in Oklahoma, promising that all fighters and UFC staff would be tested for the virus if it went ahead.
Top class boxing looking for alternatives
Much like the UFC, leading boxing promoters are looking at ways they can keep the show on the road in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bob Arum attempted to move two of his recent events behind closed doors, before being forced to cancel as they were unable to conduct tests on the fighters for the virus.
Barry Hearn has also confirmed that some smaller events in the United Kingdom could be staged without fans, but rejected the idea for major fights.
Hearn insisted that upcoming bouts such as the Anthony Joshua versus Kubrat Pulev clash on June 20 are reliant on the money they generate at the gate.
Gronkowski to host WrestleMania 36
WrestleMania 36 is set to go ahead during early April, but not in the way most wrestling fans would have expected.
The company has confirmed the event will take place over two nights at the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando along with other unconfirmed sites.
Former NFL star Rob Gronkowski will host the event which will see only ‘essential personnel’ allowed onto the set during the production of the show.
WrestleMania 36 will be available on pay-per-view and is headlined by the WWE Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre.
Former WWE stars in All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling ramped things up another notch on Wednesday as Matt Hardy and Brodie Lee made their debuts in the burgeoning promotion.
Hardy appeared as his ‘Broken’ character in the latest edition of Dynamite which was staged behind closed doors due to coronavirus.
Lee was finally revealed as the Dark Order’s Exalted One, finally ending the debate over who was actually leading the AEW’s cult faction.
It would be no surprise whatsoever to see the pair eventually joined in the AEW by Jeff Hardy when his latest contract with the WWE expires.
Combat sports striving to navigate coronavirus issue
Combat sports are facing a tough time of things right now as the worldwide coronavirus pandemic threatens to spiral out of control.
Mixed martial arts, boxing and wrestling have all been affected and the situation appears set to continue for the foreseeable future.
With the issue causing plenty of disruption, we take a look at the latest state-of-play across the world of combat sports.
White insists the show must go on
The UFC has already postponed three events due to coronavirus, but it has insisted that the clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson will happen.
Nurmagomedov is a big favourite in the 888 UFC betting to win the fight, which was originally scheduled to take place in New York on April 18.
UFC boss Dana White is desperate for the bout to go ahead and has said that it may be staged outside of the United States.
White has suggested the fight could take place on a reservation in Oklahoma, promising that all fighters and UFC staff would be tested for the virus if it went ahead.
Top class boxing looking for alternatives
Much like the UFC, leading boxing promoters are looking at ways they can keep the show on the road in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bob Arum attempted to move two of his recent events behind closed doors, before being forced to cancel as they were unable to conduct tests on the fighters for the virus.
Barry Hearn has also confirmed that some smaller events in the United Kingdom could be staged without fans, but rejected the idea for major fights.
Hearn insisted that upcoming bouts such as the Anthony Joshua versus Kubrat Pulev clash on June 20 are reliant on the money they generate at the gate.
Gronkowski to host WrestleMania 36
WrestleMania 36 is set to go ahead during early April, but not in the way most wrestling fans would have expected.
The company has confirmed the event will take place over two nights at the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando along with other unconfirmed sites.
Former NFL star Rob Gronkowski will host the event which will see only ‘essential personnel’ allowed onto the set during the production of the show.
WrestleMania 36 will be available on pay-per-view and is headlined by the WWE Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre.
Former WWE stars in All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling ramped things up another notch on Wednesday as Matt Hardy and Brodie Lee made their debuts in the burgeoning promotion.
Hardy appeared as his ‘Broken’ character in the latest edition of Dynamite which was staged behind closed doors due to coronavirus.
Lee was finally revealed as the Dark Order’s Exalted One, finally ending the debate over who was actually leading the AEW’s cult faction.
It would be no surprise whatsoever to see the pair eventually joined in the AEW by Jeff Hardy when his latest contract with the WWE expires.
