President Trump Congratulates UFC 249 For Historic First Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

The advent of Saturday's UFC 49 Jacksonville, Florida, earned the praises of President Donald Trump after it became the first major sporting event in the United States since the government issued stay-at-home orders two months ago.

President Trump's congratulated the event as well as UFC President Dana White was coursed through a pre-recorded video that was played during the UFC 249's broadcast at ESPN.

“They're going to have a big match. We love it. We think it's important. Get the sports leagues back. Let's play. Do the social distancing and whatever else you have to do. We need sports. We want our sports back.

Congratulations to Dana White and UFC,” said Fox News, citing the message of the president.

UFC 249 was the first of three events in eight days slated to be held in Florida. The two remaining mixed martial arts contests are scheduled on May 13 and 16 and, just like what it did Saturday, will be completely closed to the public with only essential personnel attending the bouts, said CNN.

Florida is one of the few states who declared sports as an “essential business” despite stern guidelines to observe social distancing and stay-at-home orders to slow down the spread of COVID-19. State Governor Ron DeSantis even gave the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) the green light to resume its live shows.

UFC 249 was originally scheduled for April 18 in New York, but organizers decided to postpone the event to adhere to government protocols. The UFC also issued a 25-page document and highlighted its health and safety procedures after Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza tested positive for COVID-19 Friday.

Souza's two conrnermen also contracted the virus, leading to the cancellation of his middleweight bout against Uriah Hall.

A statement coming from the UFC said that Souza and his two cornermen were examined by the organization's medical team and found them to be asymptomatic.

“As per UFC's health and safety protocols, all three men have left the host hotel and will be self-isolating off premises, where UFC's medical team will monitor their conditions remotely and will provide assistance with any necessary treatment,” said the statement, through MMA Weekly.

For his part, White, a known Trump supporter, claimed that the president wanted the event to act as a “blueprint” for the eventual return of live sports.

The UFC president gave Jacksonville a go for at least a week provided that there was no audience and social distancing rules were applied for essential employees. Judges and broadcasters sat separately, while fighters, trainers, UFC staff and outside media were required to undergo COVID-19 testing before entering the Veterans Memorial Arena, said the Denver Post.