California State Athletic Commission Cancels Combat Sports Through May

Mixed martial arts and boxing events scheduled to take place in California over the next two months won't be allowed in the state. 

Per ESPN's Marc Raimondi, the California State Athletic Commission announced Thursday that all combat sports have been canceled through the end of May because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

"The commission didn't take this decision lightly and understands the potential economic loss to promoters and the industry of combative sports," the governing body stated. "We had to weigh the best interest of our fighters and the community around us."

A number of combat sports events scheduled to take place in California have either been postponed or canceled recently. 

Bellator announced Monday that it was canceling all three of its events next month, including a May 9 show in San Jose and May 29 show in Temecula. 

The CSAC's decision does impact UFC Fight Night 175, scheduled to be held at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. UFC President Dana White has been adamant about continuing to run shows amid the pandemic. 

UFC did cancel three events from March 28 though April 11 but is planning to go on with UFC 249 on April 18. 

It's unclear how the CSAC ban on combat sports will impact the UFC Fight Night, which is expected to feature a main event bout between Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker.