The Ultimate Fighting Championship has finally been forced to back
down in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Las Vegas-based promotion has elected to indefinitely postpone
its next three events – UFC Fight Night 171 on March 21, UFC on
ESPN 8 on March 28 and UFC Fight Night 172 on April 11 – the United
States and the rest of the world race to battle the coronavirus
outbreak. UFC president Dana White revealed the decision in an
email to company employees, which was initially
revealed by statistician Michael
Carroll. At the moment, UFC 249 is still scheduled for April
18, though a location and venue have yet to be determined.
The contents of the message (per
MMAjunkie.com ) is as follows:
My Crew
This has been a crazy couple of weeks.We’ve been doing everything
possible to stick to our live events schedule because the fighters
want to fight, our employees want to work, and the fans want to
watch our sport.So many people have reached out over the past few
days to say thanks for not canceling our Brasilia event on
Saturday.
When weird things happen in the world, or when there’s a tragedy,
like the October 1 shooting, people want things to get back to
normal, and nothing feels more normal than watching sports.
We did everything we could to relocate our next three events–
London, Columbus, and Portland. But every day, there are new
restrictions put in place on travel and large public gatherings
that are making it impossible to stay on schedule. We can’t even
hold an event in Vegas, our home town, because there’s a ban on all
combat sports events in Nevada until at least March 25.
As you heard me say, I’ve been in the fight game for 20 years, and
this is what we do—we find a way to keep our events going no matter
what. If fighters miss weight, if fighters get hurt, or if states
won’t regulate us, we figure out a way. But this is different. The
whole world is being affected right now, and nothing is more
important than the health and safety of you and your families.
That’s why we are closing all UFC offices effective immediately,
including HQ in Vegas, through at least March 31st, and asking all
employees to work from home. The PI will also be closed to all
personnel, including athletes, during this time. The next three
events– London, Columbus, and Portland—will be postponed. UFC 249
is still scheduled as planned, but the location may change. We’ll
keep you posted.
I tell you guys all the time, you are the BEST TO EVER DO IT. It
feels shitty now, but WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS, and we’ll be
TOUGHER, STRONGER, AND MORE BADASS than before.Right now, the
number one priority is to take care of yourselves and your
family.
Finally, I want you to know that UFC has your back. If you or any
member of your family is showing symptoms of coronavirus and you’re
having trouble getting to a doctor, please reach out to me,
Lawrence, or Hunter.
Thanks, Dana
As recently as Saturday night,
White was adamant that the UFC would move forward with upcoming
events. UFC Fight Night 170, originally scheduled for London, was
to be relocated in the United States. UFC on ESPN, slated for
Columbus, Ohio, and UFC Fight Night 171, set for Portland, Ore.,
were to be moved to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, as White
said, the Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended all combat
sports in the state until a March 25 meeting.
Virtually every major sports organization has shut down operations
for the time being, and now the UFC will follow suit. On March 14,
the promotion was essentially the only major athletic event
happening as it held UFC Fight Night 170 in Brasilia, Brazil, with
no spectators in attendance.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
