With the global pandemic of COVID-19 and the sports world shutting down, many MMA fans are wondering if we will see Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson on April 18.
The UFC has postponed its next three events and UFC 249 will not take place in Brooklyn, New York as expected. Where it will take place is unknown at this time. But, UFC president, Dana White has sent a message to all fans and media members about doubting him that the event will take place on that day.
“If you’re a fan, if you’re a media member, you’d stop doubting, I would imagine,” White said to TSN (via MMA Junkie). “But maybe not. We’ll see.”
“If you asked me questions 10 days ago, I could answer any question you threw at me. I don’t know a lot of things right now. Think about this: Las Vegas shut down the casinos. I never thought I’d ever see that in my lifetime. Khabib and Tony is going to happen. We’re going to make it happen. It’s just going to be a matter of how quickly it would go back to being normal.
“I have my own arena,” White said. “I have my own production. I have everything. I have everything you need to put on events. So there isn’t much that I can’t pull off.”
White joked on Twitter on Wednesday that he will hold the event on the moon. He has said he will go to extreme lengths to make sure this fight happens on that day. But, given no one truly knows when COVID-19 will go away, it is hard to say he will be able to make the event happen.
Regardless, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father has said Dubai is a possible location to host the event. But, if travel bans are still in place, the event may not go forward.
Do you think UFC 249 will happen on April 18?