If mixed martial arts is a dance, it is often set to a thunderous soundtrack composed by thousands of baying voices. A bear-pit of an atmosphere that rises and falls, where octaves reflect octanes, and the rhythm in the Octagon can be dictated as much by the crowd as it can the participants. In Jacksonville for UFC 249 things were more than a little different. With no fans in attendance, this near-silent disco provided us with an atmosphere that only added to the intrigue surrounding one of sport’s only shows in town. From the minute Sam Alvey took the first ring walk of the night with his entrance music clear for all to hear, there was a feeling this could be special. View this post on Instagram Welcome to #UFC249! 🤩 A post shared by ufc (@ufc) on May 9, 2020 at 2:30pm PDT Now, let’s not kid ourselves, the first knockings of a UFC event are often played out in front of dozens rather than thousands. Five or six hours is a long time to sit through, and most will wait when it comes to finding their place in the arena – particularly with fights generally low in meaning being served up. From the opening bell of Alvey’s clash with Ryan Spann, there was an almost mystical feeling in the air. Every patter of footwork, exhale of breath and connection of leather on skin could be heard. Instructions from corners were clear, as apparently were the voices of commentators Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier. When Spann caught Alvey in an early standing arm triangle, the sound of him grasping for air was tangible. Spann could be heard acknowledging his corner. In a surreal moment, on a surreal night, Rogan concluded the first post-fight interview by try to whip up some excitement for the victorious Spann only to realise there was nobody there to whip up. Hearing fighters just clearly and casually talk to their corners in the middle of a fight is BIZARRE. Feels like we're in on some secret Fight Club sparring sessions or something. I kinda love it. #UFC249— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) May 9, 2020 It was pointed the commentators even spoke during the main event of using hushed tones so not to influence either fighter. This followed Greg Hardy’s admitting he had heard Cormier point something out about his game, and switched up. Chalk up the assist to DC. Throughout proceedings, the audio added another dimension to what was already fast becoming a standout event – circumstances aside. Whether this was Bryce Mitchell’s trash talk in the final minutes of his jiu jitsu masterclass against Charles Rosa, or the sickening snap of the leg kicks Vicente Luque stung Niko Price with, this was a visceral experience for the home viewer, one like never before. Francis Ngannou’s soul-destroying knockout of Jairzinho Roztenstruik was made all the more real by the sound of his devastating left hand making contact with the man from Suriname. View this post on Instagram ARE YOU KIDDING?! @FrancisNgannou 🤯🤯 A post shared by ufc (@ufc) on May 9, 2020 at 8:37pm PDT And then there was the main event, for more than 24 minutes we witnessed the brutal poetry the sport has made its name on. Underdog Justin Gaethje fought the fight of his life to derail Tony Ferguson with striking display so intense a full arena may have gone full cliche and blown the roof off. And we lived each and every strike. These are incredible times, and despite the naysayers, UFC put on an event that will go down in history. The entertainment produced in the bouts would have it live long in their memory, but the way in which the home viewer could experience it transformed things into the closest you will get to an ‘I was there moment’ from the comfort of your living room. UFC 249 results in full: Justin Gaethje (ic) def. Tony Ferguson via fifth-round TKO (punches) Henry Cejudo (c) def. Dominick Cruz via second-round TKO (punches) Francis Ngannou def. Jair Rozenstruik via first-round TKO (punches) Calvin Kattar def. Jeremy Stephens via second-round knockout (elbow) Greg Hardy def. Yorgan de Castro via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Anthony Pettis def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Aleksei Oleinik def. Fabricio Werdum via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Carla Esparza def. Michelle Waterson via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28) Vicente Luque def. Niko Price via third-round TKO (doctor stoppage) Bryce Mitchell def. Charles Rosa via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-24) Ryan Spann def. Sam Alvey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
from Sport360 - Latest Sports News https://sport360.com/article/other/ufc/343444/ufc-249-how-an-empty-arena-brought-fans-closer-to-the-action-than-ever-before
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