What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 28 in Brasilia, Brazil? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Behind closed doors
It was definitely a different experience watching an event without crowd, but at the same time it wasn’t, really.
The only difference between what we witnessed and, say, “The Ultimate Fighter,” is the fact there were production elements such as commentary and a ring announcer, more fights, and the majority of the athletes were of a higher talent level. Moreover, the in-fight experience of watching UFC events are all largely the same, so sans some crowd reaction, it wasn’t that different from what we normally see.
That may have not been the case for the fighters, who definitely get an adrenaline boost from an audience, whether they like to admit it or not. It’s hard to know whether that contributed to the record-tying stretch of nine consecutive decisions, but it’s certainly a possibility.
We don’t need to delve into another discussion about the optics of the UFC putting on the event at all with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, because my colleague Dave Doyle covered that quite well in his post-event column. But given how the situation is rapidly evolving, there’s a chance these closed-door fights become the norm for the near future. It also can’t be ruled out these were the last fights the UFC puts on until this crisis settles.
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