There was so much good about Ultimate Fighting Championship’s grand return to Miami on Saturday night for the first time in 20 years — so much good it was an added shame the night left a sour taste.
It ended up an embarrassment to the sport and to the host city that the UFC 287 mixed martial arts event at the Miami Heat’s downtown arena volunteered its octagon and microphone to become a stage and platform for politics. Even for a sport that trades in barbarism, this was ugly.
Miami-born fighter Jorge Masvidal, 38, lost to Gilbert Burns and afterward announced he was retiring after 20 years in mixed martial arts. So far, so good.
