John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal reports on the UFC’s safety protocol in light of its three events in Jacksonville, Florida. Notably, UFC COO Lawrence Epstein said it has 1,200 coronavirus tests to make sure its fighters and staff are safe.
The UFC has 600+ antibody tests and 600+ antigen tests on hand. “Now with testing capacity expanding, any of these tests that organizations like ours are getting access to don’t impact that testing [referring to testing for first responders, healthcare workers and people who were sick].
The UFC has cut staff that will work this event and are using CDC recommendations on social distancing. They have secured a centralized hotel and have private workout rooms. In addition, announcers Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan will be sitting at separate tables around the octagon.
Payout Perspective:
The moves seem appropriate and many other sports organizations will be looking at the model as a way to get back to sports. The tests seem like a big hurdle for most sports. Epstein’s statement about tests infers that there are an abundance of tests and they are not obstructing those in need of testing. However, I would take issue with this as accounts (including my first hand knowledge) that tests are scarce in certain parts of the country versus others. Obviously, it helps that Dana White is close to the administration and they want sports back to return to normalcy. So, notwithstanding this issue, it would seem that the comprehensive plan drawn out by the UFC will be a roadmap for other leagues.
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