The UFC's announcement that they are planning to host a gala already next week, April 18, has caused many to react.

Similarly, President Dana White's statement that he "is close to securing a private island" where upcoming crowds can be arranged.

An American Martial Arts Association, the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians, has now released a statement demanding that all American martial arts events be suspended for the time being.

“Sports events around the world have been canceled due to the increased risk of contagion by competitors, fans, judges and staff. We now recommend that all martial arts events should also be canceled for the time being, "they write and continue:

"All martial arts that take place during this global pandemic expose those involved to unnecessary risk of being infected and spreading, Covid-19".

To be able to arrange their crowds, the UFC must now find doctors who are willing to go against ARP's recommendations. It is already true that they probably need to arrange their own ring judges and score judges, as most sports commissions do not allow any events right now.

The majority of all UFC fighters who have commented on the issue have been positive to compete despite the circumstances. But then it is important to remember that their only source of income is to go to matches.

CLIP: Sports stars donating money to fight corona (March 28, 2020)

Javascript is turned off

Javascript must be turned on to play video

Learn more about browser support

The browser is not supported

SVT does not support playback in your browser. We therefore recommend that you switch to another browser.

Learn more about browser support