Tristan Connelly and Cole Smith hung in the United States as long as they could – but as soon as the announcement came, they were out.
Two of the UFC’s resident Western Canadians, Connelly (14-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Smith (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) were training at the UFC Performance Institute in preparation for their upcoming fights.
Connelly was supposed to fight Alex da Silva at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Portland, Ore. on April 11. The fight was later rescheduled for the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, before it was eventually postponed. As for Smith, he didn’t have a fight booked, but threw his hat in contention for any short-notice opportunities available.
As their camp progressed, concern surrounding the coronavirus grew. The NBA, NHL, Bellator and numerous other sports organizations cancelled or postponed events. However, the UFC initially refused to do so. Smith said they had no intention of leaving, as long as the UFC held out.
“It was a risk we were willing to take,” Smith told MMA Junkie. “As irresponsible as that sounds, it was what we were willing to do. Obviously, a lot of the gyms started getting closed down out there. We were getting some of the fighters together and having our own secret training. Other than that, it’s part of the game.”
Connelly added, “I was definitely concerned with everything that was going on, but we’re in a unique sport where there’s not actually a whole lot of close contact besides the two fighters fighting – at least not in a large group. It seems like the perfect sport to be able to continue.”
When news broke Monday of the UFC’s three event postponements, the two fighters were actually working out at the PI. They decided it was time to leave.
“I was sitting on the PI, scrolling through Twitter, and I saw it on MMA Junkie,” Smith said. “I saw it from you guys – the event was (postponed). I went up to Tristan and said, ‘Hey buddy, your fight is off, I’m sorry to say. Let’s go home tomorrow. We have no reason to be here anymore. The PI is closing. Xtreme Couture is closing. 10th Planet is closing.’ There was no need for us to be there anymore.”
Booking a flight home was not easy. Connelly and Smith were unable to book the same flight home and instead, had to fly out at different hours of the day. Upon arrival in Canada, Smith indicated he was surprised at the lack of questioning to cross the border.
“They asked me a couple questions,” Smith said. “They asked us all as a group. When we were walking off the plane, they had an agent standing there and he just asked everybody, ‘Is anyone sick?’ And everyone is like, ‘No.’ They just let us go by. It was kind of weird.”
Now back home, the two fighters are in the midst of self-quarantine. While both guys are utilizing alternative training methods, it’s proven to be especially difficult for Connelly, given he was in the middle of as fight camp. Unsure of when or where his event will be postponed, Connelly has faith in the UFC.
“The toughest thing is coming back into the country I have to self-quarantine for 14 days,” Connelly said. “All the gyms are closed, too. Not being able to train is the hardest part. The next couple weeks I’ll have to stay by myself. It’ll be hard not to eat sitting on the couch. I can stretch, but I don’t have much room to do stuff in here. That’s going to be the hardest bit. I’ll stay in shape and be ready. Hopefully, the UFC figures something out. I really feel like they will figure out small events.”
UFC's Tristan Connelly, Cole Smith on leaving United States after coronavirus postponements
