Rogers Arena Releases Statement After Railing Collapses at UFC 289

Railing collapses #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/ffFaHdomfY

— Taner (@TanerFrank) June 11, 2023

Disaster was narrowly averted during the UFC 289 main card.

As Mike Malott was walking to the arena for his bout with Adam Fugitt, fans fell to the floor near the Canadian fighter in a potentially scary moment. Video of the railing collapsing was captured at a number of angles, but it was revealed during the broadcast that no one was hurt during the accident. Rogers Arena, the venue for the card, released a statement on the incident shortly thereafter.

“The safety of our fans is our No. 1 priority at Rogers Arena. At tonight’s UFC event, as fans leaned over to greet the fighters, a railing fell down,” the statement read. “Our arena staff worked quickly to relocate 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’s safety.”

Jesus they almost fell right on Mike Malott #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/Zm0CHIVJ10

— Jessica Knapik ✨ (@JessicaKnapik) June 11, 2023

UFC president Dana White echoed that sentiment when addressing the situation at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“The arena handled it immediately, roped it off, got security up there, moved people to better seats, and handled it like a bunch of pros,” White said.

Meanwhile, Malott didn’t seem to be adversely affected by the near miss. The Halifax native delighted the home crowd with a second-round submission of Fugitt to extended his professional winning streak to six.

“I noticed it for like a quarter of a second,” Malott told media afterward. “It fell. I kind of like jumped to the side, stepped over the gate. I was like, ‘One, that sucks for them. Two, don’t think about it, stay focused,’ and immediately forgot about it afterward.

“I had bigger fish to fry. I had the biggest fight of my life in front of me,” he added. “I was focused on that. But like f—k, man, that would’ve been a s—y way for that fight not to happen – have it all on your knee and then you’re on your way to the hospital or something. That would’ve sucked.”

pic.twitter.com/KUxEYaKRWZ

— Rogers Arena (@RogersArena) June 11, 2023