‘Cowboy’ Offers To Step In And Fight At UFC 249

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

As Dana White scrambles to reorganize the April 18th event under near-quarantine conditions, Cowboy lets his boss know he’s ready to fight.

It is Sunday morning on March 29, 2020, and at this moment UFC 249: “Khabib vs. Ferguson“ is still going ahead on April 18, 2020, according to UFC President. Dana White. There’s a fair amount of logistical issues he’ll have to overcome to actually pull off the pay-per-view (PPV) event. Governors are declaring a “State of Emergency” in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic, and strict quarantine protocols may be in place by the time mid-April arrives.

There’s also the issue of getting Khabib Nurmagomedov into the United States … if that’s even where the fight is being held. If the card is moved to Abu Dhabi or somewhere equally remote, how do they get Tony Ferguson and his staff there?

Russia has announced a shutdown of its borders set to go into effect on March 30, 2020. We imagine travel restrictions will only increase in the coming weeks. Even with White’s constant assurances, things look shaky at best.

But if there’s one thing UFC can rely on even in the most difficult of times, it’s that Donald Cerrone is available to fight should the promotion need him. “Cowboy” made the offer explicit in an Instagram post earlier this week.

”155/170 I’ll be waiting on the Call!” Cerrone wrote.

We last saw “Cowboy” at UFC 246 back in January, where Conor McGregor smashed him in a first round blitz. That’s three losses in a row to the top three guys under Khabib at Lightweight, but an emergency booking could get Cerrone right back into the mix.

Fighting at Lightweight could position “Cowboy” to step into the main event against Khabib or Ferguson should COVID-19 related issues force one off the card. There’s also a willing dance partner for him at welterweight: Gilbert Burns is fresh off his first round technical knockout win over Demian Maia (watch highlights) and itching to get back into the cage as soon as possible.

Burns was looking like UFC’s top choice to step in and fight Tyron Woodley on March 21, 2020, before that whole event got scrapped. White is still talking about stacking UFC 249 with as many of the big fights from other canceled cards as possible, so it’s unclear whether it would need Cerrone or Burns to step up. But given the inherent difficulty in getting anyone anywhere right now, we’re sure the big boss appreciates having some back up options at the ready.