UFC star rocked by devastating double virus tragedy
Former UFC strawweight Rose Namajunas has suffered double heartbreak after two people in her family died from coronavirus complications.
Namajunas was supposed to fight Jessica Andrade at UFC 249 in a rematch after losing her title to the Brazilian last April, before UFC boss Dana White pulled the plug on the event on Friday.
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But she became the second big fighter to withdraw from the card - prior to White’s announcement - after Khabib Nurgamomedov confirmed he could not fight Tony Ferguson because of coronavirus restrictions, after her manager confirmed the horrible news.
A statement issued on Instagram by Namajunas' representative Brian Butler read: "@rosenamajunas withdrew from UFC 249 due to 2 deaths in the family related to the coronavirus.
"Her hopes are to return to the Octagon as soon as possible but for now we ask for people to respect their privacy during this time."
UFC boss White was later forced to pull the pin on the event after pressure from ESPN.
UFC off after Disney pull plug
White made the stunning backflip after revealing the “high level” intervention that forced him to scrap UFC 249.
The UFC president had previously insisted that the MMA pay-per-view showcase scheduled for April 18 would go on in spite of public health concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, White on Thursday told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that he got a call from Disney and ESPN chiefs that left him with no choice but to cancel the event.
ESPN is UFC’s broadcast partner and the sports broadcaster’s parent company is Disney.
White said he was left with no alternative after receiving a call at the "highest level" from Disney and ESPN chiefs, urging him to "stand down".
