Some of you will be watching the UFC return to action tonight when UFC 249 takes place in Jacksonville, Florida, after the company’s day-to-day boss Dana White moved heaven and earth and raised hell with the cards.

Some of you also heard that one of the people who was supposed to fight in the Octagon tonight tested positive for the coronavirus and was scratched from the event. Reports indicate that Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, a 40-year-old Florida resident, is battling Covid-19, as are two of his team members.

One person who definitely won’t be watching is Hall of Fame boxing promoter Bob Arum. The Brooklyn-born dealer is off-the-grid in California and working to orchestrate Top Rank’s return from its forced hiatus due to the coronavirus.

I put it to him bluntly. Will he watch UFC 249? “No, of course not,” said the 88-year-old, who started in the business in 1966. “It has nothing to do with politics, I just can’t stand it. I don’t think it’s a sport.”

Recorded; However, I was curious if he was looking at this event in Florida to see how the operation would go as it might have an impact on Top Rank moving forward?

“No,” Arum continued, “because what the UFC did was not responsible. We are making the return together with the Nevada commission and medical staff. There is absolutely no way any of our players would test positive. “

Arum was informed of Souza’s positive status. We are all still trying to get a full picture of how long the MMA fighter was on site, how many other people he was in close contact with, how many people the other affected Jacare support staff had contact with.

Basically, Arum is saying that when Top Rank returns fighting, this type of cluster bullshit won’t happen. “The Bobfather” saw footage of the fighters and Dana White without masks at the weigh-ins and no, he wasn’t impressed.

The possibility that Jacare infected others in Jacksonville, even , means to Arum that the way White ran the promotion was botched.

“What we’re going to do is we’re going to block the (rogue” carrier’s ability to spread the virus),” Arum told me. “We will be in a bubble for a week.”

He further outlined his vision for a responsible approach to restoring a degree of normality in the boxing and commercial spheres, which is necessary to prevent economic destruction. Top Rank determines fight locations in Nevada. And in front of the “quarantine” hotel there will be a tent where everyone who takes part in the promotion will be tested before entering the hotel.

“They will get the results within five hours,” Arum said. While waiting for the result, they will stay in a sort of guest area.

In other words, it should be done methodically, almost painfully, preferably with maximum patience. No, these are not traits typically used to describe the charismatic but often belligerent White.

As for him, he lives in Vegas, he has a house there, so he won’t be living in a hotel bubble, Arum said. If he went in, left and tried to come back, he would have to be tested and tested again. Speaking of which, we saw a report from Brett Okamoto of ESPN that the UFC conducted 1,200 tests for attendees at the event in Jacksonville. White is not a fan of transparency on such matters, and is often selectively opposed to the media. So those on the outside are left guessing about his protocol. This means that audiences and fans may wonder whether he is being diligent about re-entering the live fighting industry.

And yes, this lively is increasingly being discussed publicly; witness this tweet from Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza.

Arum is certainly not always shaky in terms of coverage and can get burned in the press. He protects his property and does not give up the exchange if he believes that the media is not treating Top Rank fairly. He and White have been rivals for years, with some iconic fights. However, Arum provides more details publicly than White.

Arum wasn’t going “state shopping” like White, looking for a state that would give him as much freedom as he apparently demanded. Arum is working with Nevada regulators to return to the top ranks. The state – he told me – will have test kits and the ability to process 30,000 of them. daily. I asked the promoter if he would be able to ensure that if Top Rank did a blitz of testing before their return, as the UFC did, that this avalanche would not result in the exclusion of other people or organizations that need testing?

He’s satisfied that Top Rank won’t be like Bigfoot, he said, stomping around in a “my way or the highway” style that reflects White’s personality.

“That’s why we’re working with Nevada, we don’t want to take away (from hospitals or people who need the test).”

Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel gave White a challenge for his casual face-to-face approach.

Catastrophe. Absurd.

Let’s add “humorous”. Wetzel did it.

“

Disaster, absurdity, ridiculousness.

Actually.

Need more? Okamoto wrote on Friday that “” Yes, you read that right. The fighter pointed out to the UFC about the possibility of infection. Even a person with minimal education already knows that if a family member tests positive, the likelihood of infecting someone who was close to that person is much greater. Perhaps a member of Souza’s family doesn’t live with him or wasn’t close to him… But if White is so reluctant to be clear and wants to destroy the media like Trump, we simply don’t know.

People outside the media watched the UFC event and shook their heads as well. Epidemiologist Georgia’s Zachary Binney publicly reacted sharply.

Back to boxing…

To be precise, Arum anticipates Top Rank’s return to live action “early June.” This time slot matters because he went to ESPN and told the suits there when Top Rank would conveniently hit the restart button. “We will get their response on Monday,” Arum said.

He said that once we get the schedule sorted out, we could probably expect two shows a week. This “grouping” makes sense, Arum said, because you want to make the most of participants’ “bubble” quarantine. He said that when fighting resumes, they will basically try to schedule fights that were scheduled to take place in March, depending on fighter availability. You can expect a maximum of four fights per card, which makes sense because smaller numbers better ensure control over boxers’ testing. There are 11 fights on White’s UFC card.

Again, Arum offers detailed information that is useful and appreciated, so the public (and platform providers, who must be a bit worried that White’s DIY style may expose them to massive criticism) can feel some relief that the best practices are implemented and followed. Here’s what it will likely look like: There will likely be the same three judges for every fight in Nevada. There will be two judges and maybe one inspector in the corner. Each competitor will have a maximum of two corner men on site. And family, management and the like can root for their guy (or girl), but from a separate space.

My two cents: Transparency during such a period is not only welcome, but necessary. We, the people, have the right to know that the people we value are treated well, with respect, dignity, decency and care. Players who risk their lives deserve it. You simply can’t say that White offers anything close to transparency. I keep my fingers crossed that all the fighters on the UFC 249 card and the people on site working on the event will be provided with the best care possible. But unless we are informed thoroughly how the UFC and White handle all elements of the promotion The global death toll from the virus has reached 280,000so how can we all view this card with a clear conscience?

Hey, I know, this is the world of combat sports and fighters engage in combat. This is not a dart league… But even though it is a “pain game”, every person involved deserves respect, and that means doing everything by the rules, using common sense and with the support of top-notch medical advisors.

The sight of Dana White in face-to-face sessions without a mask was disappointing, but not surprising.

He looks at Trump who doesn’t want to wear a maskmaybe because of some misplaced macho attitude.

It’s stupid, irresponsible and unhappy because even if Trump or White don’t get infected, the people who follow their example WILL.

AND it’s not the fluthis is undoubtedly worseno matter what some spinners want to tell you.