Dana White confirmed that UFC 249 last night. UFC President stated that he knows the location of the event, but that he won’t share that with the public at the moment. He also added that the fights would take place without spectators.
“I do (know where it is),” White said while being interviewed via Instagram Live by Kevin Iole. “But I’m not ready to tell you yet. I know lots of things. … There’s not going to be any fans there. It’s going to be a closed event.”
For quite some time, there have been numerous rumors about the future of UFC 249, and in particular, its headliner between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. This is one of the most anticipated fights ever, and many feared that it might be canceled once again.
Yet White refused to either cancel or reschedule the contest, precisely because of that. The UFC already backed out from organizing three events before this one, but in this case, such a scenario is not an option.
The UFC president’s decision to continue with the contest provoked criticism, and all those who were against this were saying that White might endanger the health of the fighters and the people who will also organize the event.
Last night he stated that every person at UFC 249 wouldn’t be there because he said so, but because it was his own will.
“Everybody who is going to be involved in this thing is going to be because they want to be, not because they have to be or they have to do anything,” White said. “Believe me: We didn’t just start thinking about safety when the coronavirus popped up.”
It seems that there is a huge amount of determination to make this fight. According to many, there are two reasons. The first is to show that the UFC organization can cope with any situation and be able to beat any adversity. The other is the financial aspect. There is no doubt that because of all the lockdowns and self-isolation all around the world, the only live sports event would attract massive attention and that the income from the pay-per-view system would hit the ceilings.
In the meantime, Khabib Nurmagomedov has left the USA and headed back home to finish his preparations for the clash. This move raised many speculations about the location of the event, with some even mentioning that it might take place in Russia.
Khabib stated recently that White would send the location of the match pretty soon. Some suggest that he has that info now, which is why he decided to jump back home. Russia doesn’t have massive problems with COVID-19 like some other countries, making it a possible place for the battle. Khabib and his agent proposed Zaire, but there was no answer on that one.
Also, many assume that Australia, too, could host this event. Their soccer and rugby matches were played without spectators last weekend. The Australian football league has started even though many other competitions across the world are shutting down in these moments, and that is a sign that UFC 249 might happen there.
