UFC Fight Night 170 in Brazil reportedly will go on, minus spectators

The UFC Fight Night 170 event scheduled for Saturday in Brazil's capital reportedly will take place without spectators at the venue amid concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in the city.

The 12-bout event is scheduled at the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia. The MMA showcase was in jeopardy after the city's governor, Ibaneis Rocha, declared a ban on all large gatherings.

However, MMA Junkie has reported that UFC Fight Night 170 will go on. MMA Junkie cited a report from Brazilian outlet Combate stating that the venue's management company announced the event will proceed without fans in the stands.

As of 2 p.m. ET, the UFC has yet to make an official announcement regarding the fate of the event. But it did cancel Thursday's planned media day and Friday's ceremonial weigh-ins.

The main event was set to pit ranked lightweight contenders Kevin Lee of Michigan against Charles Oliveira, who is from Brazil.

"I'm good with fighting in an empty arena," Lee tweeted Thursday. "Let's not panic too crazy. Let us fight, entertain the people stuck at home."

However, the Bellator 241 event scheduled for Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., appears prepared to proceed with no restrictions. The main event features featherweight champion Patricio Freire taking on Pedro Carvalho.

The MMA promotion has made no statements regarding the fate of the event, and its social media accounts actively promoted Thursday's weigh-ins. The Mohegan Sun's official Twitter account indicated the event would go on as planned.  

Boxing appears to be taking a similar approach to the UFC for the time being. Two events promoted by Top Rank will go on as scheduled but with only media and essential personnel allowed to attend, promoter Bob Arum told the media Thursday.

Featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson is scheduled to make his first defense against Miguel Marriaga in the main event Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Irish featherweight Michael Conlan is scheduled to headline a St. Patrick's Day card by facing Belmar Preciado in a 10-round bout. Arum said the same criteria will be in place for that bout.

"We still want to go ahead with our fights because the worst thing is to cancel the events after all these kids have trained so hard," Arum told ESPN on Thursday. "So we are going to do the right thing and go ahead with the event but without spectators."

However, three fight cards scheduled in March at the Casino of Montreal were canceled Wednesday because of concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.