My railing collapsed
#UFC289 pic.twitter.com/ffFaHdomfY– Tanner (@TanerFrank)
June 11, 2023
Disaster was narrowly averted during the UFC 289 main card.
As Mike Malott walked to the ring for his bout with Adam Fugit, fans fell to the floor near the Canadian fighter in a potentially intimidating moment. Video of the railing collapse was captured from several angles, but it was revealed during the broadcast that no one was injured during the accident. Rogers Arena, the venue for the card, issued a statement about the incident shortly thereafter.
“The safety of our fans is our number one priority at Rogers Arena. At tonight’s UFC event, as fans bowed to greet the fighters, a railing fell,” the statement read. “Our arena staff worked quickly to move fans in the affected area and no serious injuries were reported. Venue security and staff remained on site throughout the rest of the evening to ensure everyone was safe.”
Jesus, they almost fell for Mike Malott
#UFC289 pic.twitter.com/Zm0CHIVJ10— Jessica Knapik ✨ (@JessicaKnapik)
June 11, 2023
UFC President Dana White echoed that sentiment when addressing the situation in Saturday’s post-fight press conference.
“The arena dealt with it right away, toughened it up, raised the security there, moved people to better seats, and handled it like a bunch of professionals,” White said.
Meanwhile, Malott did not appear to have been adversely affected by the impending danger. The Halifax native delighted the home crowd by serving Fugit in the second round to extend his professional winning streak to six.
“I noticed it for a quarter of a second,” Malott told the media afterwards. He fell. I kind of jumped off to the side, and I went over the gate. I was like, ‘One, this is bad for them.’ Second, don’t think about it, stay focused, and forget about it right away after that.
“I had a bigger fish to fry. I had the biggest fight of my life in front of me.” “I was focused on that. But like fk, man, it was like—your way of not having that fight happen—get it all on your knee and then you’re on your way to the hospital or something. That would have sucked.”
Rogers Arena
June 11, 2023