Dana White says he's spoken to Donald Trump, doesn't think there's any point panicking about the coronavirus, and the UFC will continue to hold events.
"I talked to the president [Trump] and the vice president [Mike Pence] about this,," White told ESPN's SportsCenter.
"They said be careful, be cautious, but live your life and stop panicking. Instead of panicking, we're working with health officials and the government."
The UFC Fight Night event in Brasilia, which is headlined by a lightweight fight between Kevin Lee and Charles Oliveira, is scheduled to take place on Saturday at the Ginasio Nilson Nelson, Brazil.
The government banned mass gatherings for events that would hold more than 100 people, so the UFC will continue with this weekend's show behind-closed-doors, CBS Sports reported. Only athletes, trainers, officials, and broadcast crew will be in attendance.
Deeper into March, UFC has shows planned for London's 02 Arena on March 21, which it says it will continue with fans as Britain is yet to implement bans on mass gatherings, and a UFC on ESPN 8 event which has been moved to a UFC facility in Las Vegas called Apex.
The UFC's approach is at odds with other major sporting organizations in the world.
The NBA, MLB, NHL also canceled their seasons while the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and Italian Serie A — three of the top soccer divisions in Europe — have all postponed their fixtures.
Basketball players and soccer players in England and Italy have all tested positive for the coronavirus.
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