Even though fans cannot attend sporting events amid the coronavirus pandemic, UFC held a pair of shows at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., in less than a week.
Due to the lack of atmosphere inside the largely empty venue, cameras and microphones picked up conversations viewers wouldn't hear under normal circumstances.
This new reality provided MMA aficionados with one of the most unique highlights in UFC history during Wednesday's "Fight Night" broadcast.
In the card's main event, Glover Teixeira dominated Anthony Smith in rounds three and four, so much that both deserved to be 10-8 frames had Teixeira not stopped Smith in the fifth.
While controlling Smith midway through the fourth, Teixeira expressed remorse toward his beaten foe for the dominant display:
Teixeira: Sorry, Anthony, it’s part of the job.
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 14, 2020
Smith: What?
Teixeira: Sorry. Part of the job.
Smith: Yeah. It is what it is.
This mid-fight convo between @gloverteixeira and @lionheartasmith is wild #UFCJax pic.twitter.com/p4VEPqFjxI
During the post-fight press conference, Teixeira explained he was apologizing for knocking at least one of Smith's teeth out of his mouth:
Anthony Smith legitimately handing Ref Jason Herzog his teeth in the middle of round 4 #UFCJAX #UFCFightNight #UFCJacksonville pic.twitter.com/SVYV4x6NYH
— Debate and Debauchery (@dbatendbauchery) May 14, 2020
Say whatever you will about the UFC conducting shows during a pandemic. Recent history shows these events are anything but unforgettable.
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