With the UFC having been able to host events in several states, it is easy to forget that there are still places that will not allow this to happen. That is apparently the issue they ran into, which has resulted in the cancellation of their Dublin event this August.
The UFC was the first major sports organization to start holding events after the global health crisis took hold. They have had large amounts of testing, and adjusted safety protocols, to fit in with the guidelines that state legislatures have put in place. Even when they were pushing to have events early in this crisis, they still were doing so under whatever rules were placed in front of them.
The Government Stops UFC Dublin
It would appear that this abundance of caution has led to the cancellation of UFC Dublin. The organization was expecting to make it’s long awaited return to Ireland this August. However a recent tweet from the UFC Europe page revealed that, due to the government’s limitations on public gatherings, they will be unable to continue with these plans.
“Due to current government restrictions on public gatherings in the Republic of Ireland, #UFCDublin originally scheduled for August 15th will not take place as planned at the @3ArenaDublin.
UFC looks forward to returning with an event in the near future”
Due to current government restrictions on public gatherings in the Republic of Ireland, #UFCDublin originally scheduled for August 15th will not take place as planned at the @3ArenaDublin.
UFC looks forward to returning with an event in the near future pic.twitter.com/D5E7CKCyfS
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) June 24, 2020
This is obviously a blow to the people who were hoping to see the UFC return to this region of the world. On the other hand, the most noteworthy thing about events in Ireland, is usually the loud and pumped up crowd, which would likely not happen even if the event took place in August. So perhaps it is a blessing in disguise that the promotion will be waiting a little longer to return.
The fight that was originally supposed to headline UFC Dublin, a middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Darren Till, was already rescheduled for Fight Island. So it seems that they were already suspecting that there was no way for this event to take place when they were hoping. Either way, with them not being in Dublin since 2015, there is sure to be a large appetite for fights, when the return can finally go ahead.
