Dana White confirmed that the lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is out from the UFC 249, but also indicated that the event is definitely on. The president of the organization stated that the entire card would be revealed this Monday.
White had to deny one false news on Twiter, which was launched by Ariel Helwani’s fake profile. It stated that he and Vladimir Putin reached an agreement which would allow Khabib to travel to the event, despite all the restrictions the Russian government imposed.
“Dana White and Vladimir Putin have reached an agreement on travel arrangements for UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov to come to the United States. He will fight Tony Ferguson. It’s happening folks. #UFC249 will go on as scheduled April 18,” wrote.
Since this news caused a lot of hype over the social networks and was even reported by some media, White himself had probably heard about it and had to react. In reply, he denied it, saying that the Russian Eagle won’t be available for the fight against Ferguson, but adding something which caused even greater attention.
“Absolutely NOT true!!! The card is happening but @TeamKhabib is out. I will announce the entire card tomorrow,” White wrote.
The fans who worried about the possible cancellation of the event can relax. White’s tweet buried all the speculations, and the only thing which stands as an enigma now is the headliner and the card in general.
Sources from within the organization suggest the UFC is going to replace Nurmagomedov with Justin Gaethje. The Highlight wasn’t in the middle of attention as some other rivals were, and he became the first option in the last few days.
There were some other stories, which included Dustin Poirier. Allegedly, Tony Ferguson offered him a challenge almost immediately once it became obvious that Khabib isn’t going to participate. Poirier, who fought Nurmagomedov at the UFC 242 and lost that bout, publicly accepted the offer, and it seemed that the two would make the headliner.
Also, there were some rumors about a totally different headliner, with numerous fights in combination. In the beginning, it was Masvidal vs. Usman, and although the reigning welterweight champion wanted this to happen, it didn’t work out that way.
Lately, Tyron Woodley’s name appears in stories on a daily basis. He and Colby Covington wanted to step in, and in the beginning, both of them offered their participation at the event. As time went by, Woodley increased the pressure on Colby to officially accept the fight, but there was no response from the other side. Recently, Woodley once again stressed out that he wants to fight at the UFC 249 and called out Dana White to resolve the situation.
Gilbert Burns wanted to use this in his favor and began calling out the former champion. The Brazilian also declared himself ready to accept the challenge on short notice, saying that if Covington doesn’t want to fight, he will be more than willing to step in and face the “Chosen One.”
The entire situation will be resolved this Monday, with White announcing the card and probably the location of the event.
