Earlier today, Brett Okamoto tweeted that the UFC will go ahead on May 9th and the event will be titled UFC 249. UFC 249 was originally scheduled for this past weekend on April 18.
Guys, breaking news: The UFC's next event has an official name. Per the organization, May 9th, at a location TBA, is officially … UFC 249. Tell your friends.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 21, 2020
As the world of sports continues to remain in a standstill, UFC President Dana White persists on trying to conduct full-fledged fight cards. The UFC have not announced a location for this card.
Location woes
UFC 249 was originally scheduled for New York City. The New York state government then restricted the maximum size of the gatherings. In response, the UFC attempted to secure an alternate location.
One of the locations was rumored to be Abu Dhabi. This prompted Khabib Nurmagomedov to leave the United States and started a chain of events which would see the lightweight champion land in Russia.
Justin Gaethje would then step-in for Nurmagomedov against Tony Ferguson. This time when interviewed, White would resist disclosing the new location. White was concerned that revealing the location may jeopardize the event. Rumors later emerged that the event would be held on Indian reservation land. Sadly, the event was ultimately scrapped.
Current Card for UFC 249
UFC 249 now boasts a formidable line-up. The main event remains Ferguson versus Gaethje. There are many other exciting fights as well.
Henry Cejudo defend his bantamweight championship against Dominick Cruz. Cejudo has been inactive due to injury. So has Cruz. Cruz has a long list of credentials, but many of those are from years prior. It will be an interesting match-up.
Vicente Luque and Niko Price square-off. Luque was on an impressive winning streak till his loss at UFC 244 to Stephen Thompson. His fight with Bryan Barbarena last year was explosive. Price is also always fun to watch. He holds the distinct honor of securing a win with an up kick against James Vick.
Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rosenstruik will face each other in a heavyweight clash. Both fighters possess ridiculous knockout power. Eight of Francis Ngannou‘s nine UFC wins have come via knockout. Seven of those eight have come in the first round. Rosenstruik is coming off a win against Alistair Overeem in a fight that he was losing till the last few seconds.
Should Dana White succeed in conducting this card, it will likely be a great one.
Featured image: Embed from Getty Images
