It had been previously reported that UFC 249 was going to be canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the world. However, it would seem that the tides have turned and the event is back on, with some slight modifications.
According to ESPN, the event will take place on Saturday, May 9, in Jacksonville, Florida, and will be headlined by an interim lightweight championship bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje.
From this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
The show will air with ESPN fights from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., with Ryan Spann vs. Sam Alvey, Charles Rosa vs. Bryce Mitchell, Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price, Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Jacare Souza, Michelle Waterson vs. Carla Esparza, Fabricio Werdum vs. Aleksei Oleinik and Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone.
The PPV fights at 10 p.m. are Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro, Jeremy Stephens vs. Calvin Kattar, Jairzinho Rozenstruk vs. Francis Ngannou, Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title and Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title.
Check out the promo video for the event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orlzK9fRBHI
Editor’s Opinion:
Live sports are back again! Hurrah! I think that this comes down to an issue between Disney and ESPN, as Disney didn’t want ESPN to put on this event because of the potential health issues that would be associated with it. They seemed to get those resolved, however, and we are back on and ready to roll!
Are you looking forward to UFC 249? Leave us a comment below, or post a comment on our Facebook page! Also, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!