UFC 249

Sean Gordon, Staff Writer

As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, sports have been put on pause for an unknown amount of time. The UFC is ready to make their return on Saturday night. The event will take place in an empty arena in Jacksonville, Florida. 

This event was originally scheduled for April 18, but was unable to occur due to concerns of the Coronavirus. The main event was altered after lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, was unable to compete against Tony Ferguson. Justin Gaethje was put in as a replacement for Khabib, and will challenge Tony for the interim lightweight championship. 

The co-main event features bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo defending his title against Dominick Cruz. Cruz, the former champion, will compete in his first bout in three years. Cejudo was originally scheduled to fight Jose Aldo in Brazil, but travel restrictions prevented the bout from happening.

UFC 249 kicks off an action packed week of fight cards. Three cards will be held at the VyStar Memorial Arena over an eight day span. A Fight Night is scheduled for Wednesday night featuring Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira. Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris headlines another Fight Nighon Saturday, May 16.

The event will be this Saturday, May 9, and will be available for purchase on ESPN+ pay per view for $64.99.