UFC ushers in fan-free pro sport
Fighters forced to adjust in quiet Florida arena
Kicks, punches and grunts echoed through the empty arena. Coaches, commentators and camera clicks resonated like never before. Blood, sweat, swollen eyelids and face masks signalled the return of UFC, the first major sporting event to resume since the coronavirus shuttered much of the United States for nearly two months.
UFC 249 ushered in a new look for sports, too. One without fans and amid several safety precautions.
It was definitely different — two fighters adjusted their approaches because of what they heard announcers say — and a welcome reprieve for a sports-craved country that went nearly eight weeks without any live events.
Justin Gaethje stunned heavily favoured Tony Ferguson (26-4) in the main event, earning a TKO in the fifth and final round of the headliner deemed an interim lightweight title bout. It essentially gives Gaethje (22-2) the right to fight titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov next.
Nurmagomedov was unable to fight yesterday because of travel restrictions.
The stacked fight card saw 33-year-old
Henry Cejudo, with blood gushing from his forehead and running down his chest, defend his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz and then announce his retirement in the middle of the octagon.
It also included heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou pummeling another opponent, to win for the sixth time in eight fights, and former welterweight champion and fan favourite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone lose his fourth straight.
The UFC will hold three shows in eight days in Jacksonville, where state officials deemed professional sports with a national audience exempt from a stay-at-home order, as long as the location is closed to the public.
The UFC came up with a 25-page document to address health and safety protocols, procedures that led to Jacare´ Souza testing positive for Covid-19 the day before the fight. His middleweight bout against Uriah Hall was cancelled that night. Souza’s two cornermen also tested positive, the UFC said.
The positive results surely increased focus on the event, with every other sport watching closely to see how it plays out, but UFC boss Dana White didn’t want to postpone any fights. He tried to host the event on tribal land in California and still hopes to create a “Fight Island” for future cards. He settled for Jacksonville for at least a week — without fans and with socialdistancing rules in place. Judges and broadcasters worked from separate tables. Fighters, trainers, referees, judges, UFC staff and even outside media had to undergo Covid-19 testing to get inside Veterans Memorial Arena. The cage floor was disinfected between bouts and the padded parts of the octagon were wiped down between rounds. Without fans, though, sounds that usually would be muted or drowned out filled the desolate arena — and fighters said it affected their bouts. “It’s hard to assess without the crowd,” Anthony Pettis said after beating Cerrone. “When I land stuff, I hear the crowd and know it was a good one. “This time, with no crowd, I saw his head pop, but there was nothing behind it, so it’s hard to tell.”