Even though UFC postponed his next three events, UFC President Dana White assured all MMA fans that the biggest event of the year will go down according to plan.
UFC 249 will produce one of the most awaited fights in the history of the company. The lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will be defending his title against Tony Ferguson, but things can make a u-turn pretty quickly.
One of the most anticipated MMA fights in years could look something like this! 😳 (via @designbyfeo) #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/tkeOcfoAMm
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) March 13, 2020
The event was scheduled to take place in Brooklyn on April 18, but the chance of it staying there is slim to none.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommended all gatherings of 50 or more people in the US to be canceled in the next 8 weeks. That means the fight can only take place behind close doors, but not in New York, California or Nevada.
Here’s what Dana White had to say:
“We’re postponing the next three events, but Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib on April 18 is still on,” White said on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “That will still happen.”
In order for the lightweight title bout to happen, White said the UFC will have to make some adjustments. The promotion will comply with any government guidelines, White said. This probably means bringing the fight outside of the United States and not having a crowd.
“We’re going to follow these guidelines to not have more than 10 people in a room,” White said. “We’re hoping this all clears up by April. This fight is going to happen. No crowd – whatever it takes. It probably won’t even be in the United States, but this fight is going to happen.”
