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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MAY 09: Justin Gaethje (L) of the United States punches Tony Ferguson (R) of the United States in their interim fight for the lightweight title during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 09 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. Douglas P. DeFelice / Getty Images / AFP
Saturday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship became the first major American sporting event held since the United States coronavirus outbreak, with President Donald Trump congratulating the promoter.
The controversial card put the UFC in the spotlight like never before, but it didn’t go smoothly after Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza was eliminated when he and two of his cornerbacks tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.
The main event saw Justin Gaethje dominate Tony Ferguson with a fifth-round TKO technical victory in the lightweight division. Gaethje finished with his opponent three minutes and 39 seconds in the fifth to win the interim light crown.
“It worked very well,” said promoter Dana White. “I’m happy with the way it was tonight.”
In a prerecorded video that was shown during the undercard bouts, Trump, who attended a UFC card in November, congratulated White on the return of the sport.
“Take back the sports leagues, let’s play,” said the president. “You do the social distancing and whatever else you have to do, but we need sports. We want our sports back. “
The fights were staged at an empty 15,000-seat VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, after previous attempts to celebrate it in New York and California failed due to pandemic restrictions on live sporting events.
The global outbreak has largely shut down the American economy, but Florida authorities have considered professional sports, including mixed martial arts, essential businesses.
White played down the negative impact of Souza’s positive test and insisted that it showed they were aware of everything.
“Obviously, the system we set up works. We found it was positive and all the other tests were negative, “he said.
“We have two more fights this week. We will do over 1,100 tests. “
It has also announced cards for Wednesday and next Saturday in Jacksonville, despite stating that it expects to see more positive tests for coronavirus this week.
“When you are testing so much, I am sure we will find someone else who is positive,” White told ESPN.
– Step towards normality –
With the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer, all suspended, along with the US PGA Tour and LPGA. In the US, White announces the UFC’s comeback as a step toward normalcy and a boon for sports fans. .
The post-fight interviews on Saturday were conducted inside the ring without masks. Outside the octagon, many, but not all, staff members wore protective gear.
“I wanted to look them in the eye. I didn’t want it to be impersonal where he’s 100 feet from me, “said Joe Rogan, interviewing inside the ring.
Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer wore a mask on the side of the cage, removing it for presentations and results within the ring.
Gaethje hit Ferguson from the opening bell, puffing up both eyes and slicing him across the cheek. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight after Gaethje landed a solid left that wobbled Ferguson.
Both main event wrestlers weighed in on Friday in a weigh-in in which members of the media and most UFC staff kept their distance, those closest to the wrestlers wore masks and the scale was disinfected.
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