UFC 249 News

Harry Kettle - April 23, 2020

UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje has admitted that if anyone is going to prevent him from dying in the Octagon, it’ll be his head coach Trevor Wittman. Gaethje is known for being a bit of a wild man in his style and how he puts people away when he’s fighting. Thankfully for him, his last three wins have seen him escape relatively unscathed – but that isn’t always guaranteed to happen.

Natasha Hooper - April 23, 2020

If Justin Gaethje beats Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, he will earn the interim lightweight title. However, in the eyes of “The Highlight,” that won’t make him a true champion. President Dana White scrapped the plans for UFC 249 on April 18, and pushed it back to May 9. The main event was supposed to feature Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson, but the lightweight champion ultimately withdrew over the constant changes associated with the pandemic.

Tom Taylor - April 21, 2020

Before the coronavirus pandemic thrust the world into a period of unprecedented chaos, the UFC had two big pay-per-views scheduled for April and May: UFC 249, scheduled for April 18 in Las Vegas, and UFC 250, scheduled for May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Both were canceled.

Tom Taylor - April 16, 2020

UFC President Dana White is working on orchestrating a triumphant return for the promotion on May 9. He’s already stacked this revamped UFC 249 card with three title fights, and from the sounds of it, it could get even bigger “It could get better,” White told Yahoo! Sports of the May 9 event. “It really could. You look at that card and it’s stacked, but I have some fights I’m working on, if I get them done, this card is going to be absolutely crazy.”

Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020

Veteran MMA referee John McCarthy believes the top dogs at Disney and ESPN asked UFC President Dana White to cancel UFC 249 because they were concerned about the optics of going ahead with the event during a public health crisis. McCarthy weighed in on the cancelation of the card, which was most recently expected to go down at the Tachi Palace Casino on tribal land in California on April 18, on his Weighing In podcast.

Natasha Hooper - April 13, 2020

Al Iaquinta believes Khabib Nurmagomedov will probably beat Tony Ferguson — if they ever end up fighting. In the main event of UFC 249, the undisputed lightweight champ Nurmagomedov was set to defend his title for the third time against Ferguson. Unfortunately, the event was ultimately canceled, marking the fifth time a bout between the pair had fallen through.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2020

Joe Rogan has now shared his thoughts on the cancelation of the UFC 249. UFC 249 was scheduled for April 18. The card was originally expected to occur in Brooklyn, New York, but amid tightening restrictions enacted to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, it was moved to tribal land in California. As it turns out, not even this could save UFC 249. Amid growing pressure from ESPN, parent company Disney, and even some politicians, UFC President Dana White announced Thursday night that the card has been canceled.

Harry Kettle - April 10, 2020

According to a recent report from the New York Times, California governor Gavin Newsom served as the catalyst behind UFC 249 being shut down. Last night the confirmation came through that UFC 249, which was set to take place on April 18, will no longer be happening as a result of Disney and ESPN officials informing UFC president Dana White that they wanted him to stand down.

Christopher Taylor - April 9, 2020

Current Bellator women’s featherweight champion and mixed martial arts legend Cris Cyborg is not impressed with how the UFC handled Tony Ferguson. The former UFC featherweight champion, Cyborg, had jumped ship over to Bellator earlier this year and quickly took home the promotions 145lbs title.

Cole Shelton - April 9, 2020

Tony Ferguson wasn’t too fazed about UFC 249 being canceled. Ferguson was expected to headline the card against Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. It was a fascinating bout that was slated to go down on Tribal Land in California.

Chris Taylor - April 9, 2020

Earlier this afternoon Dana White broke the unfortunate news that the promotion has decided to cancel UFC 249 which was set for April 18. The pay-per-view event was originally slated to take place in Brooklyn and feature a lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Chris Taylor - April 9, 2020

More bad news for fight fans as UFC President Dana White has officially announced the cancellation of UFC 249 which was set to take place on April 18. UFC 249 was originally slated to take place in Brooklyn and feature a highly anticipated lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020

The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) has agreed to list the upcoming UFC 249 card as a sanctioned event. UFC 249, which is scheduled for April 18, was originally expected to go down in Brooklyn, New York, but has been moved to the Tachi Palace Casino on tribal land in California as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020

Joe Rogan is hesitant about serving as a commentator for UFC 249, and from the sounds of it, for any other UFC cards that occur during the coronavirus pandemic. Rogan previously stated that he wouldn’t be on commentary duty for UFC 249.

Harry Kettle - April 9, 2020

Dustin Poirier has said that he understands why he wasn’t the man chosen to replace Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC 249 main event. When Nurmagomedov’s removal from the UFC 249 card was confirmed, speculation began regarding who may be the man to replace him on the seemingly doomed card. Poirier was one of several fighters to offer to step in. It was eventually revealed to be Justin Gaethje, with many believing “The Highlight” had more than earned the right to fight for the title — even if it’s only the interim alternative.

Harry Kettle - April 9, 2020

Jacare Souza has admitted that he is scared of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, but that he will still fight at UFC 249 in order to help pay his bills. As of this writing, UFC 249 is scheduled to go ahead on April 18 on tribal land in California. One of the most intriguing undercard fights will see Jacare, 40, go head to head with Ultimate Fighter 17 winner Uriah Hall.

Cole Shelton - April 8, 2020

Dana White has remained adamant he wants all UFC events to go on as planned beginning April 18 at UFC 249. It now appears USADA will also be testing fighters on the card. USADA had originally released a statement on March 17 saying they would only test fighters as deemed fit. But, the USADA director of communications has now provided a statement to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. As of right now, they say they will do everything in their power to test UFC 249 fighters.

Natasha Hooper - April 8, 2020

Israel Adesanya has given props to UFC president Dana White for pushing forward with fights despite the coronavirus pandemic. The middleweight champion joined Ariel Helwani this week to discuss the updated UFC 249 card. The event is scheduled to take place on April 18, but has undergone major changes in the wake of COVID-19. Khabib Nurmagomedov is out of the main event and has been replaced by Justin Gaethje. He will fight Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title and a new fight card has been announced. According to The New York Times, the event has also been moved to Tribal Land in California.