UFC will return on May 9, 13, 16 live from Florida at empty arena

[Ana]

The UFC is returning to competition May 9 for three shows without fans in eight days in Jacksonville, Fla.

The mixed martial arts promotion announced its plans Friday to return to action after postponing and canceling several shows because of the coronavirus pandemic.

UFC 249 will be held May 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville with no fans in attendance. The pay-per-view show still will be headlined by Tony Ferguson’s interim lightweight title bout against Justin Gaethje.

UFC president Dana White also plans to hold shows May 13 and 16 at the same arena in northern Florida. Only “essential personnel” will be in the arena, according to White.

The UFC issued a brief statement about its health and safety precautions for the shows in Florida. The promotion said all athletes and staff will be held to “a number of precautionary measures, such as participating in advanced medical screenings and temperature checks and following social distancing guidelines.”

UFC 249 will include two title fights, with bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo defending his belt against former champion Dominick Cruz. The card also includes a heavyweight bout between contenders Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, along with a matchup of veteran contenders Anthony Pettis and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

UFC will stage 3 fights in May at empty Jacksonville arena

The UFC is returning to competition May 9 for three shows without fans in eight days in Jacksonville, Fla. The mixed martial arts promotion announced its plans Friday to return to action after postponing and canceling several shows because of the coronavirus pandemic. UFC 249 will be held May 9

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