Decision made over whether UFC 311 will go ahead as statement released amid Los Angeles wildfires
A decision has been made over whether UFC 311 will go ahead in Los Angeles amid the wildfires.
Wildfires are ripping across parts of Los Angeles, leading to at least 11 deaths and burning down hundreds of buildings.
As of Saturday, more than 144,000 people are under evacuation orders in Los Angeles country, according to local authorities.
Advert
The status of sporting events scheduled to take place in Los Angeles have been clouded by uncertainty due to the devastation done by several blazes.
The Los Angeles Rams' NFL wild-card play-off game against the Minnesota Vikings has been moved away from Los Angeles, with the game being relocated to Arizona.
But UFC 311 will NOT be moved away from Los Angeles, according to Intuit Dome, who released a statement updating the status of a series of events that is set to place at the city's arena.
A statement read: "The NBA announced the LA Clippers game against the Charlotte Hornets at Intuit Dome has been postponed due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles and out of respect for the public service resources needed during this time. The health and safety of our community and our fans remains our highest priority.
"Next week’s events will continue as scheduled at Intuit Dome, with the Clippers hosting the Miami Heat on Monday, January 13, and the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, January 15. We will welcome UFC 311 on Saturday, January 18."
The UFC have yet to issue a statement about UFC 311 but the arena that will host the MMA promotion's first pay-per-view card of 2025 says it 'will continue as scheduled'.
Ariel Helwani also provided an update on the status of UFC 311 as he claimed the UFC have had talks ahead of next weekend's event.
He said Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena would be the frontrunner should the UFC be forced to move the event from Los Angeles.
On Friday, he said: "UFC has had talks about the status of UFC 311 next weekend, I’m told.
"UFC 311 is currently slated for the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Obviously, that region is facing a devastating wildfire crisis at the moment.
"The NFL announced yesterday that they are moving the Rams x Vikings playoff game, scheduled for Monday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood to Glendale, Ariz.
"As of right now, 311 is staying at Intuit. The hope is it remains there. But they are monitoring and ready to move the card, if need be. No talks of delaying the card. Obviously that call needs to happen soon. The event is eight days away.
"Vegas would be the frontrunner. Worth noting: T-Mobile Arena is not booked next Saturday, Jan. 18."
Topics: UFC
Nasir Jabbar