Disaster was avoided after a crowd railing fell and fans went tumbling to the floor during UFC 289.
The incident occurred during the ring walks for the main card scrap between Mike Malott and Adam Fugitt. Here’s footage of the barricade collapsing:
Rogers Arena & Dana White Respond To UFC 289 Incident
The official Twitter account of Rogers Arena issued a statement on the railing issue. The good news is it seems any major injuries were avoided.
“The safety of our fans is our #1 priority at Rogers Arena. At tonight’s UFC event, as fans leaned over to greet the fighters a railing fell down. Our arena staff worked quickly to relocate fans in the affected area and no serious injuries were reported. Venue security and staff remained on-site throughout the rest of the evening to ensure everyone’s safety.”
UFC President Dana White echoed what was said in the statement. The UFC boss praised the staff at Rogers Arena for immediately handling the situation.
“Nobody was seriously hurt, a couple minor injuries,” White said. “The arena handled it immediately, roped it off, got security up there, moved people to some better seats and managed it like a bunch of pros”
It was a minor hiccup to an event that provided some good action and a memorable moment. Following her successful UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship defense over Irene Aldana, Amanda Nunes removed her gloves and put them on the mat along with her two UFC titles. “The Lioness” then announced her retirement from pro MMA competition.
UFC 289 also saw former UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira prove he isn’t done competing at an elite level. He starched Beneil Dariush in the first round via TKO, and Dana White is strongly considering the possibility of Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev 2.