Getty UFC President Dana White.
UFC president Dana White plans on going forward with UFC 249 on Apr. 18. He won’t reveal the location but claims to have “four or five” of them on standby to help ensure the event happens next month as planned.
But the company suffered two massive setbacks over the last two days that would at least make UFC 249 something a little less than it might have been.
UFC’s Joe Rogan Declines Calling UFC 249 Action
Popular UFC commentator Joe Rogan revealed that he wouldn’t be calling the action at UFC 249 due to his personal concerns about the coronavirus.
“I guess someone’s going to commentate it — it’s not gonna be me,” Rogan said via his podcast. “UFC is talking about putting on a fight on April 18. I don’t know how they’re gonna do that. I don’t know if they’re gonna be able to do that in the United States. They’re talking about doing it in a place with less than 10 people, just in an open arena.”
Rogan expressed serious concerns over how UFC 249 could go on safely in the current environment. Moreover, he asked questions about the planned event that probably need to be answered.
“The thing is, how are they going to make sure nobody has it?” Rogan said. “You’re going to have to test everybody. And if someone has it, do you let them fight? What if they have it, and they’re like Idris Elba, and they have no symptoms, but they’ve got the corona? What if Khabib has the corona? Or what if Tony has the corona? Does Khabib even fight him?”
If UFC 249 goes on as planned, it won’t be the same without Rogan calling the action. Furthermore, Rogan asks important questions about testing for the coronavirus should the event take place.
Russia’s Cross-Border Travel Ban Potentially Nixes Big Fight
The second huge setback the UFC faces today in terms of getting its UFC 249 card ready is that Russia banned cross-border travel to help prevent COVID-19 from spreading across the country.
That means any UFC fighter on the card currently in Russia who plans on participating at UFC 249 probably won’t be able to make it to the Octagon next month. While UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is expected to take on Tony Ferguson in the UFC 249 main event, already left the country per MMA Junkie, other fighters might not have been so lucky with their timing.
In fact, per that same report, light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev was set to rematch Ion Cutelaba on the main card but now finds his fight in jeopardy due to the new travel sanctions. Ankalaev is currently in Russia and would likely be prohibited by the government’s new travel restrictions from leaving the country.
UFC 249: Khabib vs. Ferguson Remains Scheduled for Apr. 18
Still, White does seem “hell-bent” on moving forward with UFC 249 no matter what. The 50-year-old UFC president revealed to Yahoo Sports that UFC 249 was going to happen no matter how many coronavirus curveballs he had to foul off.
Sure, other people wouldn’t even be inside the batter’s box right about now, but here is White digging his heels into the dirt and swinging away nonetheless.
“It’s happening,” White said per Yahoo Sports. “If you want to watch it, watch it. If you don’t, don’t.”
UFC 249: Khabib vs. Ferguson Full Fight Card Info
The fight card is subject to change as is the date (and likely will due to the pandemic issues), but below is what the UFC originally had planned for UFC 249 on Apr. 18.
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
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Dana White Suffers Humongous Setbacks to UFC 249 Plans