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UFC president Dana White isn’t backing off his shocking claim that the UFC will continue with its plan to move UFC 249 to a new location so that the hotly anticipated Apr. 18 pay-per-view battle headlined by UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson can go on as planned.
White revealed to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto on Monday that the location for UFC 249 was “99.9%” confirmed, though he would not disclose where it would be until it could be officially announced. UFC 249 was originally scheduled to take place in Brooklyn but had to be moved after New York banned large gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak.
While some have speculated the company would eventually have to postpone or cancel the event, White told ESPN he’s got the location all lined up now and that the event will happen.
“Trust me, Khabib has been telling me every day, ‘Send location,'” said White. “I have it. It’s 99.9%. On April 18, we are having this fight.”
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UFC 249: Khabib vs. Ferguson Fight Card
UFC 249 features the long-awaited showdown between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson as well as a slew of other noteworthy and important fights. While the location of the event hasn’t yet been revealed by White, the full UFC 249 fight card is listed below.
Moreover, White told Okamoto that UFC 249 will be the standard format. The UFC does not plan on cutting the event down in size in any way, so fans can expect a full night of action as with any other UFC PPV event.
“Full card,” White said per ESPN. “We’re going to face some problems, I’m sure. There are always problems with every card we put on, and with this situation, you expect there will be more, but we will still find a way to promote these fights. We always f—ing do.”
UFC 248 Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson
Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba
Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Hernandez
Jeremy Stephens vs. Calvin Kattar
UFC 248 Prelims (ESPN)
Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad
Khama Worthy vs. Ottman Azaitar
Gian Villante vs. Ben Rothwell
UFC 248 Early Prelims (ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass)
Sijara Eubanks vs. Sarah Moras
Karl Roberson vs. Makhmud Muradov
Hunter Azure vs. Umar Nurmogmadov
No Fans Allowed at UFC 249
Wherever UFC 249 ultimately takes place next month, there won’t be any fans in attendance at the event. That stark reality was assumed to be the case already by many who follow the sport, but White confirmed that part of the plan on Monday to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole in an Instagram Live video.
“I do (know where it is),” White said. “But I’m not ready to tell you yet. I know lots of things. There’s not going to be any fans there. It’s going to be a closed event.”
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson