UFC 249 will not be remembered as the day that Henry Cejudo announced his retirement after defeating Dominick Cruz, or the day that Francis Ngannou beat Jairzinho Rozenstruik by TKO in a staggering 20 seconds. UFC 249 2020 will be known as part of the return of live sports.
Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 paused professional sports, UFC President Dana White made it clear that he would take every possible measure to continue holding their live events. This of course, came at a cost. White was so determined to keep UFC fights on the calendar that he even went ahead and bought an island, so that international fighters would be able to participate. Then on April 7, it was reported that White had secured a location for UFC 249 at the VyStar Venus Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
As much as White wanted to continue UFC bouts, he had to recognize that organizing this event would have to differ from how he organized a fight pre-COVID-19. To ensure the safety of all the fighters and employees involved, the UFC implemented numerous safety precautions. ESPN reported that one such precaution was a liability waiver that every participant had to agree too. The waiver also has a “non-disparagement” clause that states UFC “may revoke all or any part of any prize monies or awards won” by a fighter on the card if they “defame or disparage” the promotion for its safety precautions “or otherwise.” The clause extends the possible punitive action to fighters’ “affiliates, agents and representatives.” The full clause reads:
“The Participant shall not, and shall cause its affiliates, agents and representatives not to, defame or disparage any of the Released Parties in any medium whatsoever in connection with the Activities. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Participant will not suggest or communicate to any person or entity that the Activities have been or will be held without appropriate health, safety or other precautions, whether relating to COVID-19 or otherwise. If the Participant is a Fighter, the Participant hereby acknowledges and agrees that in the event that the Participant breaches this Paragraph 7, the Company may revoke all or any part of any prize monies or awards won by the Participant in connection with the Activities, including, but not limited to, purses, win bonuses, other fight-related bonuses and event-based merchandise royalties.”
Other precautions included having regular health screenings, reducing the number of people on the production crew, allowing officials to disinfect the cages in between every fight, and making every member of the crew wear a mask and gloves. But arguably, the most noticeable and impactful change to the event: no fans allowed.
As the fighters walked into the ring, the 15,000 seat arena was barren. The only sound that greeted the fighters as they entered was their own footsteps. Without the cries of the crowd, every punch, every kick, every drop to the floor, could be heard clear as day. White acknowledged the absence of the fans at the post-fight press conference, saying that “there were so many moments where I was like, if there was a crowd here right now, this place would be going nuts.”
“There’s so many things you love about live sports whether you’re home, in a bar, or there live, that energy you get with a group of friends, we had an amazing show, but it was definitely different,” White admitted. Fighter Carlos Esparaza commented on the absence of fans, saying that it was so quiet that he was able to hear the commentator’s critiques and use those critiques to make adjustments mid bout.
Being the first professional sport to return to live events, the UFC 249 could have set a precedent for how professional sports can return amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Post believes that “the UFC is a guinea pig for the sports world at large.” White hopes that the success of UFC 249 will encourage other organizations to resume play, saying “[The UFC is] going to prove by Saturday that professional sports can come back safely.” Following UFC’s eight day event that started with the groundbreaking UFC 249 fight card, the sports world sits back and waits to see which league will be the next to return to the big stage.
