Dana White confirmed that the UFC 249 main event would feature Justin Gaethje taking on Tony Ferguson
UFC president Dana White claimed that setting up the UFC 249 card was the “hardest thing” he has ever done.
Several problems have surfaced in ensuring the fight takes place despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Khabib Nurmagomedov was supposed to defend his UFC Lightweight title at the event. However, the Russian is stuck in his homeland and White confirmed that Justin Gaethje would replace him.
Tony Ferguson vs Gaethje is a great bout, to be honest, and White also was convinced the clash would be incredible:
“If you look at Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje, ridiculous fight and a fight that absolutely makes sense.
“Khabib vs Tony should be happening, but it should have happened five times ago. I am starting to believe Joe Rogan that this fight is cursed.
“It didn’t work out but this is an incredible main event with respect to both guys.”
No blame on Khabib
The Russian has been criticised from some corners for flying out to his home town. Khabib spoke on an Instagram session that he was told to fly to Dubai as UFC 249 was expected to be held there.
However, the situation changed and he returned to Dagestan to continue his training. The champion has consistently said he was ready to fight if he was provided a location. However, the location has still not been confirmed by White.
The UFC president also spoke about this situation and held ho grudges with the Russian:
“Obviously everyone knows that the Khabib fight fell off, and I can go on for 10 minutes for how it fell out but the reality is that’s nobodies fault.”
“Everyday when I got up, the rules changed.”
White also said that he was going to hold UFC 249 no matter what. However, he did say that Khabib got caught up in Russia and this was a mishap from all sides.
More UFC news
-
Sean O’Malley explains why he cannot be compared to Conor McGregor
-
Chael Sonnen explains why Conor McGregor should not fight on UFC 249 card
-
What happened to Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s forehead at UFC 248 against Zhang Weili?
Follow our dedicated UFC page for instant UFC news and updates
