The long-awaited UFC 249 event has a new location. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter and MMA Fighting senior writer Dave Meltzer reported on Wednesday that a source told him UFC 249 will take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on May 9. The UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
UFC 249 is happening in Florida because Florida Governor Ron DeSantis deemed professional sports as an “essential service.” UFC President Dana White emailed a statement to Variety on April 14 that he had intentions to hold events at the UFC Apex Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada in May. However, Nevada is still under a strict “Stay at Home” order. The event was originally supposed to take place at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY on April 18. However, the New York Athletic Commission declared it unsafe due to the coronavirus pandemic. After it was ruled unsafe, the UFC was going to host UFC 249 at the Tachi Palace in Lemoore, California on April 18. Unfortunately for the UFC, California Governor Gavin Newsom urged Disney to make the UFC cancel UFC 249.
Here is the *targeted* card for May 9. Very fluid. Some have verbally agreed, others are hesitant and want more details. Fighters want to fight but these are crazy circumstances, obviously. But … this is the card as of today, UFC is working on.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN)
The projected card is to feature two title fights and a stacked undercard. The main event is scheduled to be Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight championship. Ferguson was originally supposed to face lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, but miscommunications led to Nurmagomedov being unable to fight.
The co-main event will be bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo vs Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight championship. Cejudo was supposed to face José Aldo, but Aldo has visa issues. Women’s featherweight and bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was supposed to fight Felicia Spencer for the featherweight championship. The fight has been postponed because Nunes needed more time to prepare. The official card for UFC 249 is still being worked on.
