(Editor’s note: This column originally published at Boxing Junkie, part of the USA TODAY Network.)
UFC president Dana White demonstrated that it can be done successfully.
White staged UFC 249 this past Saturday night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., his first event since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March. And consensus is that things went well. The fights were fun to watch even without the energy of spectators.
In fact, I found it interesting to hear low-decibel sounds – the referee’s warnings to the fighters, for example – that might’ve been lost amid the din of the crowd.
Bottom line: White proved that a high-quality combat sports event can be staged in a responsible manner amid the ongoing COVID-19 threat. And it’s a good bet the powers that be in boxing were paying close attention.
White took all necessary precautions. All of those connected to the event were screened beforehand, which included COVID-19 testing. Production crews were limited to essential personnel who were required to wear masks and gloves. Social distancing was encouraged. Fighters trained in separate areas. The mat was disinfected between fights. And the list goes on.
“The whole world is weird right now. Everything’s weird. This event’s weird,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after UFC 249. “It’s different. We live in a different world than we did two months ago. The bottom line is the system worked.
“What you don’t want to do is two days after the fight say, ‘Awe, Jacare (Souza) tested positive.’ So it worked. The system worked that we put in place.”
Indeed it did. And it served as an example for those in boxing. Bob Arum, who was critical of White, said he plans to begin staging cards the first week of June. He and other boxing promoters will have benefited from the work White and Co. did on Saturday.
It wasn’t a perfect promotion. Middleweight “Jacare” Souza and two of his cornermen tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, the day before the event. That’s bad. UFC’s reaction to the news was good.
White pointed out that UFC officials tested 300 people during fight week. Souza and his cornermen were the only ones who tested positive. The 23 remaining fighters tested negative.
A worker wipes down areas of the octagon between bouts at UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Fla. (John Raoux, Associated Press)
Souza was removed from the competition and, along with his cornermen, he left the host hotel to self-isolate elsewhere. UFC’s medical team reportedly monitored their condition and provided any assistance they needed, medical or otherwise.
The rest of the show apparently went off without a significant hitch.
“We administered 1,200 tests this week, on 300 people,” White told ESPN. “It’s not unexpected one person would test positive. The system works. And what’s good about this is now we know Jacare tested positive, he’s doing what he needs to do, and we’re in a position to help him if he needs it.”
So not only did White pull off a successful event, he and his team demonstrated that a positive test doesn’t have to be a disaster.
Now it’s important to ask one question: Could we learn later that some of those involved contracted the virus at UFC 249? That’s possible. And if those numbers turn out to be significant, we might have to reassess the event.
However, in terms of what we know at his moment, White scored a knockout.
Dana White produced the blueprint for boxing's restart | Opinion
