BREAKING: Per sources, UFC Fight Night in Portland, scheduled for April 11, is expected to be moved to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas as a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 12, 2020
Hot on the heels of one event relocation, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is moving another upcoming show to Las Vegas out of fears of the coronavirus.
On Thursday, TSN reported that UFC Fight Night 172 will no longer take place in Portland, Oregon, as it was initially scheduled. Instead, it will go on at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and it will still be held on April 11. One of the headliners on the card, Walt Harris, confirmed this news as well as the measures the organization is taking to keep the UFC Performance Institute safe for fighters.
This news follows an earlier report on Thursday where the promotion was moving its UFC on ESPN 8 card from Columbus, Ohio, to Las Vegas. The UFC Apex currently plays host to Dana White’s Contender Series, and the events are slated to go down without any fans in attendance.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued an order on the coronavirus on Thursday, prohibiting all gatherings of 250 people or more. This includes all sporting events, and will be in effect until April 8. While the event takes place three days later than the expiration of this order, it is unclear if it will be extended in the event of an uptick in the outbreak of the virus. The UFC has still yet to comment on any of these news announcements on Thursday.
UFC Fight Night 172 now goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on April 11, and it will be headlined by a heavyweight slugfest between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. Serving as the co-main event will be a middleweight tussle between the undefeated Edmen Shahbazyan and Derek Brunson.