The UFC 249 pay-per-view event has been resurrected weeks after it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The said fight card was expected to go down on April 18 in a private island in California, with a lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje set to serve as its headlining act.
But things did not go according to plan as the UFC’s broadcast partner, ESPN, urged the promotion to postpone the event.
“Today we got a call from the highest level you can go at Disney and the highest level of ESPN,” White said in a statement last April 9.
“One thing that I’ve said since we’ve started our relationship and partnership with ESPN is that it’s been an incredible one. It’s been an amazing partnership.”
“ESPN has been very, very good to us, and the powers that be there asked me to stand down and not do this event next Saturday.”
Official Name
Days after the cancellation, a new and stacked fight card for next month was announced as the UFC aims to be the first sports organization to return to normal schedule.
The May 9 fight card will feature some fights from the cancelled UFC 249 and UFC 250 including the Ferguson vs Gaethje title bout and the bantamweight clash between Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that this super card will be officially known as the new UFC 249, considering the last card to take place was the UFC 248.
“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,” Okamoto wrote on Twitter.
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New Location
Meanwhile, a recent report from MMA Fighting revealed that the UFC is heading to the ‘The Sunshine State’ for its MMA festivities next month.
“Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that the May 9 pay-per-view event is slated to take place in Florida. The people, who requested anonymity because the promotion’s plans aren’t public, also confirmed that fighters will fly into Jacksonville before traveling to the still-undisclosed location,” the report said.
Earlier this month, a new order in Florida has opened the door for combat sports events “to facilitate including services supporting such production — only if the location is closed to the general public.”
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Tony Ferguson El Cucuy and UFC)