The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a plan in place for its upcoming events, and it has shared some details with fighters.
First reported by MMA Junkie on Thursday night, the promotion put together some changes in standard operating procedure for its fight cards. Three events on May 9, 13 and 16 will all go down at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, starting with UFC 249 on May 9.
In an email sent out to fighters and their camps for these events, the promotion was quick to admit that “things will be different from our typical fight week.” For starters, the only people allowed at the venue will be the fighters, their specifically licensed cornermen, authorized UFC staff members and commission officials.
When arriving to the hotel in Jacksonville, the fighters and their corners will be subject to a battery of medical screenings and tests. The specifics of the tests were not yet provided, and it is unclear whether the fighters will be tested for the coronavirus or merely screened for it. Those tests will be conducted daily by the UFC staff, as long as the teams stay at the hotel. The hotel itself will be on call at any hour to help clean rooms or other areas, to provide a sanitary environment.
As it pertains to weigh-ins and the weight cutting process, the organization will give each fighter their own independent area to work out. They will all be given access to their own personal saunas. The UFC Performance Institute will also provide support in the form of meals or other services to aid fighters during fight week.
The UFC PI will also offer limited medical services, but only as they are related to performance and competition. Only the fighters that are competing at the event will be able to use these recovery-based services. Standard practice like massages and flushes will not be provided.
Finally, when it comes to media obligations, the UFC is holding a Virtual Media Day on May 7. All main card fighters as well as preliminary competitors Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone will be available on certain times throughout the day to participate in WebEx chats. In addition to the Thursday proceedings, Saturday post-fight coverage will be performed virtually using a similar process, where registered media members can call in and ask questions.
UFC 249 will be taking place on May 9 in Jacksonville, Florida, at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The pay-per-view will be headlined by an interim lightweight title clash between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. Serving as the co-main event is a bantamweight championship affair between Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz. The two subsequent Fight Night events on May 13 and May 16 will be topped by a light heavyweight tilt between Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira, and a heavyweight collision between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris, respectively.