Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
UFC 249 may be off, but you can still watch the promo.
We’re just one week away from what was supposed to be the most highly anticipated pay-per-view of the year. But, just hours after the promotion released a UFC 249 video promo to hype the new main event between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, the event has been cancelled.
The original main event was supposed to feature a lightweight title bout Khabib Nurmagomedov and ‘El Cucuy’ but Khabib was forced to pull out due to coronavirus (the reigning lightweight champ is currently stranded in Russia). Dana White was adamant the fight would go on, however, and Gaethje stepped in against Ferguson for a shot at interim gold. After a conversation with ESPN & Disney executives, though, White reversed course and pulled the plug on the whole event.
Still, you can pour salt in the wound of your defeated anticipation, and check out the hype video that the UFC president posted late Wednesday night.
this is gonna be a FUN fight. Just a little over a week and we will be watchin a LIVE fight again!!! pic.twitter.com/DGJPbbod5F
— danawhite (@danawhite) April 9, 2020
“This is gonna be a FUN fight,” White wrote. “Just a little over a week and we will be watching a LIVE fight again.” Yeah… it just might have been. But it’s very likely for the best that cooler heads prevailed to keep the UFC from skirting health and safety guidelines in the midst of an international crisis.