UFC 249 marks the beginning of an era of fanless, mask-filled sports

Michelle Waterson, center left, and Carla Esparza fight without viewers during a UFC 249 mixed martial arts fight, on Saturday May 9, 2020, in Jacksonville, Florida (AP Photo / John Raoux)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The kicks, punches, and grunts echoed across the empty arena. Coaches, commentators, and camera clicks resonated like never before. Blood, sweat, puffy eyelids, and facial masks signaled the return of the UFC, the first major sporting event to be resumed since the coronavirus closed much of the country for nearly two months.

UFC 249 also ushered in a new look for the sport. One without fans and amid various safety precautions.

It was definitely different: Two fighters adjusted their approaches because of what they heard the announcers saying, and a welcome postponement for a sports-eager country that went almost eight weeks without any live events.

Almost five hours after President Trump congratulated the UFC on restarting the world of sports, Justin Gaethje greatly surprised Tony Ferguson (26-4) in the main event, earning a TKO in the fifth and final round of the roof that was considered a light interim title. combat. Essentially it gives Gaethje (22-2) the right to fight incumbent Khabib Nurmagomedov next. Nurmagomedov was unable to fight this weekend due to travel restrictions.

Gaethje exited the octagon and reentered after the victory, then shouted repeatedly.

“I want the real one,” he said as he pulled on the interim belt.

The stacked fight card saw Henry Cejudo, 33, with blood gushing from his forehead and running down his chest, defending his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz and then announcing his retirement in the middle of the octagon. It also featured heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou hitting another opponent, former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy, to win for the sixth time in eight fights and former welterweight champion and fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone lost his fourth staircase.

Trump was also part of the event. His recorded message was replayed during the ESPN broadcast of the undercard.

“I want to congratulate (UFC President) Dana White and the UFC,” Trump said. “They are going to have a great game. We love it. We think it is important. Take back the sports leagues. Let’s play. Do social distancing and whatever else you have to do. We need sports. We want our sports back.”

UFC 249 was originally scheduled for April 18 in New York, but was postponed in hopes of helping to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The mixed martial arts giant will hold three shows in eight days in Jacksonville, where state officials deemed professional sports with a national audience exempt from an order to stay home as long as the venue is closed to the public.

The UFC produced a 25-page document to address health and safety protocols, procedures that led Jacaré Souza to test positive for COVID-19 on Friday. His middleweight bout against Uriah Hall was canceled that night. Souza’s two cornerbacks also tested positive, the UFC said.

The three men left the host hotel to isolate themselves elsewhere, where the UFC medical team will monitor their conditions remotely and provide assistance with necessary treatments.

The positive results surely increased the focus on the event. All other sports watch closely to see how it develops.

White did not want to postpone any fight. He tried to organize the event on California tribal lands and still hopes to create an “Island of Struggle” for future cards.

He settled in Jacksonville for at least a week, without fans and with established social distancing rules.

The judges and announcers worked from separate tables. Wrestlers, coaches, umpires, judges, UFC staff and even outside media had to undergo COVID-19 tests to enter the Veterans Memorial Arena.

Many of the attendees on Saturday wore masks and gloves, although several were apparently exempt from the mandate. Referees, ring announcer Bruce Buffer, other officials inside the octagon and the girl in the ring were unmasked. Game-by-game commentator Joe Rogan, who was initially supposed to interview the winners remotely, ended up doing them inside the octagon.

The floor of the cage was disinfected between battles, and the padded parts of the octagon were cleaned between rounds.

With no fans, however, sounds that would generally be silenced or completely drowned filled the desolate arena. The fighters said it affected their fighting. Hardy and Carla Esparza said they modified their approach after listening to commentators during the first few rounds.

“It’s difficult to assess without the crowd,” said Anthony Pettis after beating Cerrone in a wild welterweight fight. “When I land things, I listen to the crowd and I know it was good. This time, there was no crowd. I saw his head explode, but there was nothing behind it, so it’s hard to tell. ”

Also on the card:

– Cejudo (16-2) caught Cruz (22-3) with a right knee to the face that sent him reeling to the canvas. Cejudo then gave almost a dozen unanswered punches before the referee stopped him. Cruz argued that he should never have been called because he was working to get back on his feet. Cejudo surprisingly ended his career a few minutes later, saying he wants to spend more time with his family.

– Ngannou knocked out heavyweight partner Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds. Ngannou rushed to Rozenstruik and launched a flurry of punches that left Rozenstruik so dizzy that he had trouble getting into his slides long after the fight ended. It was Ngannou’s fourth consecutive victory with a total of less than 3 minutes in the octagon.

– Calvin Kattar (21-4) stopped Jeremy Stephens (28-18) in the second round after consecutive elbow punches, one standing and the other on the ground.

– Hardy (6-2) made a unanimous decision over Yorgan De Castro (6-1) in a heavyweight fight.

– “Showtime” Pettis (23-10) defeated Cerrone (36-15) in a unanimous decision. Pettis and Cerrone last fought in 2013. Pettis won that one too. Cerrone has dropped four in a row, including losses to Conor McGregor, Gaethje and Ferguson.

– Aleksei “The Boa Constrictor” Oleinik (59-13-1) defeated Fabricio Werdum (23-9-1) in a heavyweight fight with a pair of 42 years. It was a divided decision that included more end-to-end punches than ground grip.

– Carla Esparza (16-6) bested Michelle “Karate Hottie” Waterson (17-8) in a split decision. It was Esparza’s third consecutive victory in the strawweight division.

– Vicente Luque (18-7-1) won for the seventh time in eight fights when he beat Niko Price (14-4) in a bloodbath. The fight ruled a TKO in the third round after Price developed a nasty cut over his right eye. Luque was ahead on all three letters when called.

– Featherweight Bryce Mitchell (13-1) defeated fellow wrestler Charles Rosa (12-4) in a unanimous decision.

– Spann (18-5) extended his winning streak to eight by beating veteran Sam Alvey (33-14) in a split decision.

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