UFC 249: To host events during pandemic, UFC obtained 1,200 test kits for COVID-19

The closeness of fighters inside the octagon on Saturday night at UFC 249 will look both familiar and odd as the mixed martial arts promotion becomes the first mainstream sport in the U.S. to return to live events since the coronavirus pandemic halted most everything in the country in mid-March.

As they hurl their body parts at one another, this much is certain: all 24 fighters on the card, their cornermen, referees, judges, UFC’s production team and everyone associated with the event in Jacksonville, Florida, will have been tested for COVID-19.

UFC chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein said the promotion obtained 1,200 test kits for COVID-19 – 600 antigen tests and 600 antibody tests – for the three events in Jacksonville over an eight-day span.

“We were able to source our tests from sources that aren't sourcing the people that really need these tests, which of course, are healthcare workers, first responders and people that are sick,” Epstein said. “So the good news is the test that we're going to be using, both the antigen and the antibody test, are not going to reduce the capacity out there for those that absolutely need them first.”

Antibody testing results are quick and help determine if someone previously has been exposed to the virus. The antigen test results takes longer and tests for active infections.

Epstein said that the UFC was able to rely on its relationships established from its performance-enhancing drug testing program to help obtain the tests.

UFC 249 is Saturday night, with another event next Wednesday and a third event next Saturday. All three will take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, creating a single ecosystem, not unlike some of talked-about plans in other major professional sports. Epstein said Quest Diagnostics will process test results for these events.

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“The crew that's going to be there, they’re going to be there through the entire week,” Epstein said. “That's one of the reasons why we did these three fights in a week. We were able to control the third-party staff and certainly our UFC employees in a way that sort of minimized the need for retesting a whole new crew of people.”

The last UFC event was March 14 in Brasilia, Brazil, just as all the other U.S. and global sports leagues and major events were being suspended or canceled. That fight night took place with no fans, just as the three in Florida will.

It also served as a rough draft of sorts for the UFC, which developed a 25-page health and safety operations manual that was submitted to Florida’s athletic commission for review. That manual includes guidelines on distancing, how to move people around more efficiently (not have all 24 fighters in the arena at the same time, for example) and how to streamline production efforts.

In developing its protocols, Epstein said the UFC consulted with Dr. Jeffrey Davidson, the UFC's chief physician and head of the emergency department at Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, as well as other medical experts and regulatory officials.

“A really important starting point to develop this health and safety plan is limiting the number of people that are going to be involved,” Epstein said. “Then limiting the interaction among those groups, even at social distance, even with protective gear, and all that stuff, limiting the interaction between those people that are involved in the production of the event.”

Epstein said it typically takes 300 people – including fighters and their teams – to put on an event. For UFC 249, they will work with less than half that. Craig Borsari, the UFC’s executive vice president of production and operations, said his team of 130 was reduced to 80 for these next three events.

Epstein said they are “definitely talking and sharing information” with other sports leaders as all leagues are working toward ways to return to action and playing games on television. One main key, of course, remains testing the athletes and personnel involved.

“I think the good news is that in general testing capacity is growing every day,” Epstein said. “And that's good for people that need them of course, like first responders but also for organizations like ours that want to put on events and do it in a safe manner.”

By Mark La Monica

mark.lamonica@newsday.comLaMonicaMark

Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.