The UFC’s attempted return has been called off after the California governor appealed to Disney. Also: news on the latest replacement programming, how Jim Nantz plans to handle the potential Masters/NFL conflict in November, and more.
UFC 249 called off
UFC 249, scheduled to take place in California on April 18, has been canceled after state governor Gavin Newsom spoke to officials at Disney, parent company of UFC broadcast partner ESPN, The New York Times reported Thursday. In announcing the move, UFC president Dana White told ESPN that he had received “a call from the highest level you can go at Disney, and the highest level at ESPN” to “stand down and not do this event.”
UFC planned to stage the event on tribal land in California that is exempt from the state’s coronavirus lockdown. [NYT 4.9, ESPN.com 4.9]
ESPN airing NBA HORSE competition
The NBA and ESPN announced Thursday the creation of a HORSE competition involving current and former NBA and WNBA players, with the event set to air on ESPN this coming Sunday and next Thursday. The competitors, who will shoot from their home gyms, will include ESPN NBA analysts Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce. ESPN’s Mark Jones will host. [ESPN PR 4.9]
NBCSN to air two weeks of Olympic re-airs
NBCSN will televise 100 hours of Olympic rebroadcasts over two weeks starting Monday. Coverage will feature multiple-night encores of the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Games, weighted heavily toward swimming, track and field and gymnastics. It will also include marathons of gold medal finals in basketball and gymnastics, including the 1992, 2000, 2008 and 2012 men’s basketball finals on April 22. [NBC Sports PR 4.9]
Plus: Nantz, The Rich Eisen Show, IndyCar, The Jump
CBS Sports play-by-play voice Jim Nantz told The Athletic that he expects to call the Masters, rather than the NFL, should the events conflict as currently scheduled in November. … NBCSN will begin simulcasting The Rich Eisen Show for eight straight weeks starting Monday. The network will air the final two hours of the show from 1-3 PM ET each day, preceded by the new Mike Tirico-hosted Lunch Talk Live at Noon. … IndyCar this week canceled its May 30-31 Detroit doubleheader, replacing it in part with a new race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October. … ESPN’s The Jump will return to the schedule on Monday for just the second time since the NBA suspended its season on March 11, with all personnel appearing remotely. [The Athletic 4.9, NBC Sports PR 4.9, IndyCar 4.6, ESPN PR 4.9]
