Dana White stated that the Ultimate Fighting Championship has not returned to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center due to a disagreement stemming from UFC 249 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at the UFC 309 postfight press conference at Madison Square Garden, the UFC CEO confirmed he has no intentions of taking the promotion back to the Brooklyn venue.
The Pandemic Dispute Over UFC 249
White explained that the arena withdrew from hosting the event, which was initially planned for April 18, 2020, featuring a lightweight title matchup between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. “Yeah, COVID s**t. They pulled out on me during COVID,” White said when asked about the promotion’s ongoing absence from the venue. He added that he warned the arena management at the time, stating, “Don’t do this to me. I’ll never come back there if you do this to me.”
Event Rescheduling and Past History
The New York State Athletic Commission determined that the event could not proceed within the state due to pandemic safety restrictions. The organization initially sought an alternative location for April 18 before postponing the event entirely. UFC 249 was eventually held on May 9 in Jacksonville, Florida, with Ferguson taking on Justin Gaethje in the headlining bout. The promotion’s most recent event at Barclays Center took place on Jan. 19, 2019, featuring Henry Cejudo defeating T.J. Dillashaw to defend the flyweight title at UFC Fight Night 143.
