UFC adapts to coronavirus pandemic, delivers on promise to be first back up and running

(Editor’s note: This story originally published in Friday’s print edition of USA TODAY.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As Dana White promised, the UFC is the first major U.S. sports organization to return to live action following a national stoppage of events because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

On Saturday, the promotion hosts UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The event is closed to fans but will stream live on pay-per-view via ESPN+ and marks the first of three fight cards in an eight-day stretch at the same venue.

For the outspoken president of the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization, the card marks the culmination of several weeks’ worth of intense planning and rapidly introduced safety protocols.

“The hardest part of this thing was obviously the logistics,” White said. “One of the things we always do is figure how do we get this business up and running so that nothing bad can happen.”

The UFC’s effort to return despite the world struggling to manage the novel coronavirus outbreak has been met with criticism by some of White’s peers in the combat sports community, including Bellator president Scott Coker and Top Rank Boxing CEO Bob Arum, who told Boxing Scene.com that “this kind of cowboy behavior doesn’t do anybody any good.”

However, UFC officials believe they have taken the necessary steps to host live events right now, including COVID-19 testing for not only every fighter, but also production personnel, attending media members and anyone else involved. Additionally, all participants and attendees have taken part in daily medical screenings and followed safety protocols that involved social distancing and the mandatory wearing of masks.

UFC COO Lawrence Epstein believes the plan is comprehensive, and the company is excited to move forward despite the loss of revenue without selling tickets and the “substantial” added expenditures in operations.

“Health and safety has always been No. 1 for us, but in this COVID-19 world, now you’ve got a new variable to it,” Epstein told USA TODAY Sports. “On the expense side, to be honest about it, we haven’t even thought about the expenses. We’ve only thought about what we need to do to make these events safe. Yes, it’s costing us some money, but it’s essential to putting on these events in a safe manner.

“Costs have not really been a concern, though they’ve been substantial.”

The main event of UFC 249 sees former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) look to regain that title when he takes on hard-hitting Justin Gaethje (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.

Both men have expressed their enthusiasm not only for the personal gains that can be made in victory but also for what a night of entertainment might mean for fans struggling through the realities of a collapsing economy.

“We get to put a paycheck in every UFC employee’s pocket that is going to work this event,” Gaethje said. “And we get to inspire people to not give up right now.”