Boxing promoter Bob Arum continues to express his dismay over how the UFC is handling operations during the COVID-19 crisis.
The UFC is gearing up for a return this Saturday night (May 9). UFC 249 will be held inside the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Fans will not be allowed to enter the venue. While the UFC attempted to run on tribal land in California last month, this time they will be backed by a state athletic commission as Florida has deemed sports on a national level “essential.”
Bob Arum Continues To Bash UFC’s Approach
Arum spoke to Boxing Scene and doubled down on his view of the UFC’s decision to continue holding events amid the coronavirus pandemic (via BoxingJunkie.com).
“Good luck to them,” Arum told BoxingScene.com. “I just hope that they’re not endangering the safety of anyone. But this kind of cowboy behavior doesn’t do anybody any good.”
He went on: “We’re looking now with Nevada, which we’ll do in a sensible way, or California. We’re working with [Nevada’s] Bob Bennett and [California’s] Andy Foster, and we’re talking to the Texas commission. We’re only gonna do this if it’s safe for the fighters and everyone involved, and if it’s approved by the medical authorities.
“We’re not gonna be cowboys, like Dana White. I don’t wanna get politics involved, but I have really very little respect for Dana and what he’s doing.”
If all goes according to plan, then UFC 249 will be the promotion’s first event since March 14. The UFC has been forced to postpone several events due to global lockdowns, which brought about travel restrictions and new CDC guidelines.
Arum isn’t the only boxing promoter who has criticized the UFC. Eddie Hearn, who is often cordial with UFC president Dana White, admitted that he felt the promotion was handling operations in “bad taste.”
