The biggest promotion in MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 249, will be held in tribal land in Central California. The move will be violating the state’s ban on mass gatherings.

Tachi Palace to host UFC 249

Dana White, the president of UFC, previously said that the event could be held safely but did not disclose the location. At the time, he said,

“This place where this fight is going to be on April 18, I have locked up for two months, so I’m going to continue to pump fights out.”

According to the New York Times, the location is Tachi Palace Casino Resort, a tribal property located in central California, close to Lemoore. The Tachi Palace casino has been closed since March 20. NYT quoted anonymous sources for the news. UFC has not disclosed any information about the event location yet.

By organizing the event in Tachi Palace, UFC will be violating the state government’s guidelines against maintaining social distancing. All casinos in the state have now been shuttered to ensure social distancing. The land on which the event is scheduled is owned by the Tachi-Yokut tribe, which is a part of the Santa Rosa Indian Community and is federally recognized as well.

Is it really illegal to host UFC 249?

The fight will be held in the land of a federally recognized tribe which may give UFC a bypass on the California executive order that advises people to stay at home and maintain social distancing. Consequently, the fight will not need permission from the California Athletic Commission. Note that the Commission has canceled all flights scheduled till May end.

UFC has already canceled three events owing to the coronavirus pandemic. UFC 249 was originally planned at New York’s Barclays Center. However, since then, the state has emerged as one of the biggest casualties of COVID-19 in the US. Governor Andrew Cuomo banned mass gatherings in the city after which the New York State Athletic Commission refused to permit the fights. Dana White wanted to host the fight so he started looking for a different location.

The original fight was planned between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. However, it appears that Khabib will no longer be a part of the event. He is currently at home In Russia and will not be able to leave the country. Interestingly, this is the fifth fight between him and Ferguson that has been canceled.