UFC President Dana White is one of the few sports owners who isn’t afraid to stand out. White has been in hot water over the years ranging from topics such as the fighters and refs he employs, to rival promotions, to even his public roasting of Oscar De La Hoya. Nothing however was more controversial than the UFC being the one of the few sports organizations still putting on events due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
UFC Brasilia took place in its totality on Saturday afternoon live on ESPN from the Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil. The card headlined by the Lightweight main event between Charles Olivera and Kevin Lee was aired on ESPN in front of a fan-less crowd. Olivera ended up taking home the victory due to submission, on a card that included 9 straight decisions to kick off the card.
This very well might be the last live sporting event we see for some time. After leagues such as the NBA, NHL, MLB, and XFL have all postponed their seasons, along with the cancellation of college athletics, fans are chomping at the bit for something to cheer for their desired fanbases.
This is simply a situation we never encountered in the modern era, and definitely the first of its kind in the social media era. As the days pass in this virus-stricken world, sports fans are looking for something to cheer for, and despite if it was a good idea or not by the UFC to still host this event it was an interesting return to normal for the time being.
What will be interesting is to see how the future UFC cards are affected by the virus. Most fight fans have their calendars circled for April 18th, as undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov is supposed to put his record and his lightweight title on the line as he is scheduled to face Tony Ferguson at the Barclays Center on April 18th. The event has not been cancelled yet, but one can only assume the scrambling that has gone on to keep this fight on. Should be an interesting development, love to see how this one ends.
Till next time!
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