Railing collapses #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/ffFaHdomfY
— Taner (@TanerFrank) June 11, 2023
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.”
— Rogers Arena (@RogersArena) June 11, 2023