Dana White has confirmed that both Tony Ferguson and Niko Price were admitted to hospital after their defeats at UFC 249.
The Florida card - which took place without crowds during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic - was one of the first major sports events to take place amid the world health crisis, with White praised by US president Donald Trump for helping to "get our sports back" as the US continues to battle the virus.
Ferguson came into his fight with Justin Gaethje on a 12-match winning streak, but suffered a shock defeat as Gaethje landed thunderous hooks and chopped away at his legs on the way to referee Herb Dean stopping the bout in the fifth round.
Gaethje's win has now put him next in line to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed lightweight crown.
After an interim belt was placed around his waist following the victory, he tossed it aside and said: "I'll wait for the real one."
White later confirmed that Ferguson and Price had gone to hospital, adding: "I thought Tony Ferguson looked off tonight. He looked slow.”
Price was stopped by Vicente Luque, who said that the absence of a crowd didn't affect him too much.
"It was funny, I could hear a lot," he said.
"Everybody out there I could hear really clearly, but at the same time ... it wasn't much different than if the crowd were there."
Trump appeared in a pre-recorded video on ESPN in the US before the card, and congratulated White for putting on the event.
“I want to congratulate Dana White and the UFC. They’re going to have a big match,” he said.
“We love it. We think it’s important – get the sports leagues back. Let’s play. We do the social distancing and whatever else you have to do, but we need sports. We want our sports back, and congratulations to Dana White and the UFC.”
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