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    Categories: UFC

UFC Returns From Fight Island For Busy Month At Apex Building In Las Vegas Amid Pandemic

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 01: (L-R) Vince Cachero punches Jamall Emmers in their featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 01, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 01: Jennifer Maia of Brazil celebrates after her submission victory over Joanne Calderwood of Scotland in their flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 01, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com

While Major League Baseball appears to be heading to a grounded season because of non-bubble coronavirus cases, it was pandemic business as usual for Las Vegas-based UFC and its Fight Night event at the MMA promotion’s Apex building in the southwest valley.

On May 30, LVSportsBiz.com was inside the Apex venue to eyeball the first bigtime sports event in Las Vegas after the COVID-19 pandemic halted big league sports in the United States.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MAY 30: A general view inside the UFC APEX prior to the UFC Fight Night event on May 30, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

By now, UFC has the pandemic protocols down at the Apex, the 130,000-square-foot former Scientific Games Corp. building nearly next-door  to UFC’s headquarters campus.

Constant testing, quarantines and face masks are the protocol at the Apex. On May 30, there was a sense of curiosity to see how UFC would handle the first live sports event. Inside the Apex for that first pandemic fight show in late May, I heard the whack of punches to the heads, kicks to the body and skin-on-skin blows, with coaches screaming instructions. The Apex venue had only doctors, sports commission officials and less UFC staffers than usual for events.

UFC boss Dana White said sports organizations have to stage sports in a bubble — check White’s comments here.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MAY 30: Workers sanitize the Octagon between fights during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on May 30, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Now two months later on Aug. 1 amid a pandemic that claimed the lives of 152,000 Americans, UFC is picking up the pace with no less than nine events at the Apex in the month of August. There are five Saturday night events, including UFC 252 pay-per-view on Aug. 15, and four Dana White’s Contender Series events this month.

White forged ahead in May when people said holding live sports during a pandemic could not be done. He staged a UFC event in Jacksonville, Florida May 16, then brought the fights home to Las Vegas for the May 30 event before June saw a slew of fight shows at the Apex before White took the MMA promotion on the road to the Middle East and Abu Dhabi in July to accommodate many international fighters on UFC’s 600-fighter roster.

Today’s card features nine fights, including four prelims and all the bouts are on ESPN+. The big fight is a middleweight showdown between Edmen Shahbazyan and Derek Brunson.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 01: (L-R) Johnny Munoz takes down Nate Maness in their featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 01, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

 


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Alan Snel: Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.
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