MMA Referee Frank Trigg Believes There is “No Way” To Make Fighting Safe During Global Pandemic
The UFC will continue to put on fights for fans despite the current global pandemic. But, is the juice worth the squeeze? In the eyes of many fans, it doesn’t feel right to put fighters in harm’s way just for their entertainment. However, there is a group that feels like watching fights is just what fans need to get through these hard times. The same way that the fans are divided over the issue, so are the media, fighters, and other personalities of the MMA world. Former fighter and current MMA referee Frank Trigg believes that it’s virtually impossible to stay safe while fighting when the world is supposed to be in quarantine.
UFC President Dana White has been hellbent on still holding events. In fact, if he had it his way, the organization would have never missed a single fight on their calendar. White announced that the UFC would hold a mega card on May 9th. Originally, the card was set to feature 3 UFC title fights. But, Amanda Nunes, one of the champions on the card, decided to pull out until the global virus was under control.
Trigg Speaks on Whether Fighting During Virus is Safe
Regardless of how a portion of the fighters feel, the other crop is itching to collect another paycheck and capitalize on moving up the rankings while the others stay home. But according to Trigg, there is simply no way to make sure that fighting right now is safe. He spoke to MMA Junkie to share his thoughts on fighting during the lockdown.
.@FrankTrigg on running fights during #COVID19: 'No way to make these things safe' (via @MMAjunkieRadio) https://t.co/dXZelGWmZC
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 21, 2020
“There’s no way to make something like this safe until we understand what we’re dealing with,” said Trigg.
How can we counter it? Is there going to be a vaccine for this thing? There’s no way to make these things safe until we figure this out. The same thing with polio, same thing with leprosy. Until we figure out what it actually is, how it actually progresses, what is actually happening with it, there is no way to make a sporting event safe.” (via MMA Junkie)
Fighting During Lockdown
Regardless, the UFC is scheduled to host another fight card on May 9th. The card is rumored to take place in Florida with the state commission being on board. Hopefully, the fighters and all involved remain safe during the event.
