There is still a possibility of UFC 249 taking place inside the United States — at least, for now.
Given the government restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was expected that UFC 249 — headlined by a lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson on April 18 — would take place outside the United States.
And UFC president Dana White, adamant that the event would still go on, recently claimed he had “four or five” locations for the card but refused to give out any more details.
“I have four or five locations right now and we’re getting this deal done,” White said late last week. “And then we’re going to figure out who we can get in, who we can’t, what we can do and we’re going to build a card around it.”
One of those locations might be in Florida as according to MMA Fighting’s Steven Marrocco, the UFC is in discussions with the state commission about potentially hosting the event there.
“UFC still talking with Florida commission about potentially hosting UFC 249, but no confirmation as of yet. Gov. DeSantis’ most recent order doesn’t preclude the FSBC from sanctioning fight. But as with everything, it’s a very unstable situation that could change.”
As Marrocco mentions, things could change in an instant, especially based on the last two weeks and even earlier today.
Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed Monday morning that he was stuck in Russia due to the country’s recent cross-border travel ban and that the UFC were looking at booking the event without him.
As a result, Justin Gaethje has reportedly been offered as a replacement opponent to Tony Ferguson. If both fighters agree to the bout, we could still have a show — and it might take place in Florida.
What do you think of Florida as a potential host for UFC 249? Or do you think things will change by the time April 18 comes around?