Florida deems pro sports essential, opens door for UFC amid pandemic

A new order issued by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office has opened the door for the UFC to possibly hold events in the state amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a state memo Thursday, new essential services in Florida include "employees at a professional sports and media production with a national audience - including any athletes, entertainers, production team, executive team, media team and any others necessary to facilitate including services supporting such production - only if the location is closed to the general public."

Combat sports, including MMA or boxing, could be among the sporting events deemed essential, a spokesperson for the governor's office told ESPN's Marc Raimondi on Monday.

"The memo does not specify specific sports, as long as the event location is closed to the general public," Cody McCloud said.

The Florida State Boxing Commission would be prepared to regulate an event as long as organizers follow the guidelines issued by the governor's office, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation told MMA Fighting's Damon Martin.

McCloud told Raimondi that pro sporting events were deemed essential "because they are critical to Florida's economy."

The UFC planned to move forward with UFC 249 on April 18 on tribal land in California, but executives from Disney and ESPN asked the promotion to call the event off due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The promotion also postponed all cards indefinitely.

UFC president Dana White, who was adamant about holding events despite the public health crisis, vowed to be the first sport to resume operations.