Coronavirus prompts Bellator 241 postponement hours before event was set to begin

Bellator 241 officially has been postponed, promotion president Scott Coker announced Friday just hours before the event was set to begin.

The health and safety of everyone involved have, and will remain, our top priority as we move forward,” Coker said in a statement after the news was first reported by Fightful.com. “After carefully monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, Bellator MMA has chosen to postpone this evening’s Bellator 241 event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. We would like to apologize to our athletes and fans, as well as our broadcast partner DAZN, but we feel this is the best decision to be made at this time.”

Bellator officials told MMA Junkie that all fighters will be compensated with their show money being paid.

On Tuesday, Connecticut Gov. Ted Lamont declared a public health emergency and on Thursday signed an executive order that, in part, prohibits public gatherings in excess of 250 people.

Following that order, Bellator transitioned their event to a behind-closed-doors show, but now, after further monitoring of the situation surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, the promotion has taken the decision to postpone the show.

The global coronavirus pandemic has prompted a plethora of sporting events and leagues – including the NBA, NHL, NCAA tournaments, MLS, and English Premier League among others – to be suspended or postponed.

Bellator 241 was due to be headlined by featherweight and lightweight champion Patricio Freire (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA), who was set to put his 145-pound title on the line against Pedro Carvalho (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the quarterfinals of Bellator’s ongoing featherweight grand prix. The co-main event was scheduled to feature the other remaining quarterfinal matchup, between Emmanuel Sanchez (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) and Daniel Weichel (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA).