We counted 18 safety measures the UFC has in place for UFC 249, and people have already been filmed getting swabs for COVID-19

• The UFC restarts its combat calendar on Saturday and has many safety measures in place, which Insider has detailed below.
• Tony Ferguson fights lightweight rival Justin Gaethje in the main event of a festival of fights beginning on May 9 in Florida.
• The UFC reportedly has 1,200 COVID-19 tests that it will administer for athletes, trainers, staff, and the few media attending.
• Some people have already posted videos of their first swabs, which you can watch below.

• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Insider counted 18 additional safety measures the UFC has in place for UFC 249 on Saturday, and people have already been filmed getting swab tests for the coronavirus.

The UFC has not held a live event since it was in Brazil for a Fight Night show on March 14.

Because of mounting health concerns and travel restrictions imposed by the global spread of the coronavirus, the UFC canceled three events and postponed six others.

But it becomes the world's first major sports organization to return to live action as May 9 provides the first of three mixed martial arts events in eight days at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.

UFC COO Lawrence Epstein told the Sports Business Journal that the company has 1,200 COVID-19 tests — 600+ for antigen and another 600+ for antibodies.

Results will take 24 hours and allows the UFC to see if anybody tests positive for the coronavirus, or has had the coronavirus.

"In the early days of this epidemic, the testing capacity had to be focused exclusively on first responders, healthcare workers, and people who were sick," Epstein said.

"Now with testing capacity expanding, many of these tests that organizations like ours are getting access to don't impact testing."

The UFC will administer its tests for athletes, trainers, staff, and the few, select media which traveled to Florida to cover the fights.

Prominent people attending have already posted videos of swabs

Tony Ferguson, who fights Justin Gaethje in Saturday's main event, posted a clip on Twitter.

He said it "felt weird."

—Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) May 6, 2020

Charles McCarthy, an MMA coach who trains a UFC 249 early preliminary competitor called Charles Rosa, was filmed reeling back after his swab.

—Charles Rosa (@CharlesRosaMMA) May 6, 2020

Renowned MMA reporter for MMA Junkie, John Morgan, said he was "really nervous" but was told by the practitioner nurse that it "only hurts for a minute" and would feel like it was going to "tickle" his brain.

—John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) May 6, 2020

The COVID-19 testing is just one safety precaution the UFC is taking ahead and during its upcoming events while the rest of the United States battles the coronavirus.

We counted 17 other safety measures listed in two ESPN articles:

1. It will be behind-closed-doors: There will be no fans at the weigh-in or the arena
2. The weigh-in will be timed so athletes and teams can be kept apart
3. Fighters and team-members have individual workout rooms at a hotel
4. Room service will be 24-hour and left by an attendee's front door
5. Individual workout mats for athletes and trainers will be sanitized
6. Fighters have a personal sauna for weight-cutting
7. Regular medical screenings which include temperature checks and questions about potential symptoms
8. Broadcast team members will be sat on different tables
9. Post-fight interviews will not be permitted in the UFC Octagon. The winning athlete will instead be guided to an isolated location and interviewed remotely
10. Headsets will be sanitized
11. UFC crew will wear personal protective equipment including N95 masks and gloves
12. Everyone Octagonside including the referee will wear a mask. The referee may also wear eye protection
13. The production crew is reduced from 130 members to approximately 80
14. The crew will work in mobile units, separated by plastic partitions
15. Social distancing will be practised by everyone in the arena outside of the Octagon
16. Fewer than 20 UFC staff and media will be permitted in the arena at any one time
17. Officials could disinfect the cage between each and every fight

The United States is the worst-hit country and, as of Thursday morning, has 1,228,609 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has helped cause 73,431 deaths.

Five weeks ago, Dr. Donald Muzzi, the president of the Association of Ringside Physicians, said he would advise against holding combat sports events in the middle of a health crisis but, according to this separate ESPN article more recently, he now believes live fights can be held safely.

"In today's world, it's as safe as possible," said Muzzi. "We're living in a new normal. We can do closed events, limiting the amount of people. Those that are working will practise social-distancing."

The UFC has three events in Jacksonville beginning with a pay-per-view show on May 9, then two UFC on ESPN events on May 13 and then May 16.

The UFC returns to Las Vegas at the UFC Apex with a Fight Night event on May 23.

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Read the original article on Insider