Getty UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov poses during a ceremonial weigh-in for UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena on October 05, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On April 18, UFC 249 is still scheduled to take place, but a venue has not been determined. The outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States has not deterred the UFC from putting on the show, however the promotion’s president, Dana White, revealed that the event will no longer take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. It is also unclear at the moment if a live audience will be allowed to watch the even with the CDC recommending no more than a 50-person gathering until May 10.
At the top of the UFC 249 fight card, a match is set between the UFC lightweight champion, Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov” and the No. 1 contender, Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson. It is a fight that many consider will determine the greatest MMA lightweight of this generation.
The Eagle Is Ready to For MMA Fans to ‘Recognize the Champion’
The Eagle made it clear that he doesn’t need an audience to show who the champion is. On Sunday night, Khabib posted on Instagram:
His captions reads, “Just close us in the arena and you will recognize the champion.”
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A Match Between Khabib & Ferguson Has Been Scheduled 5 Times
Fans have been waiting for these two lightweight fighters to compete against each other for years.
They were first set to fight at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale in December 2015, however The Eagle pulled out due to a rib injury. The two were then scheduled to fight in April 2016 for UFC on FOX 19, but Ferguson had to pull out after sustaining a lung injury.
In March 2017 at UFC 209, Khabib and El Cucuy were supposed to meet but Nurmagomedov was pulled from the card after having medical issues while weight cutting. April 2018’s UFC 229 was the fourth time the pair was scheduled, but El Cucuy pulled out of their match days before the event after injuring his knee.
If their fight on April 18 is scrapped because of the coronavirus or another reason, it will be for an unprecedented fifth time.
As mentioned, many analysts and fans believe that whoever wins the bout between the two will be crowned the greatest lightweight fighter of this generation. Both men are on 12-fight win streaks in the UFC, and they have defeated some of the greatest fighters the division has ever seen.
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