UFC 249 News

Chris Taylor - May 8, 2020

Shocking news rocked the mixed martial arts world this evening as it was announced that Jacare Souza had tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of UFC 249. The announcement came from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who reported that Jacare Souza had tested positive for the virus and that his fight with Uriah Hall at UFC 249 was now cancelled.

Chris Taylor - May 8, 2020

UFC middleweight contender Jacare Souza has tested positive for Covid-19 and will no longer be fighting Uriah Hall tomorrow night at UFC 249. The shocking news comes from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto who reported the following on Twitter:

Mike Pendleton - May 8, 2020

Sports are back this weekend, as UFC 249 is scheduled to go down in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday night. With the NBA, MLB, and NHL seasons suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC will be the first professional sports league to return. UFC reporter Megan Olivi was recently a guest on ‘MMA Tonight’ on Sirius XM and provided her take on how the UFC can capitalize on the extra attention they will have, and how the event won’t look too different from a production standpoint compared to normal events, minus the lack of a crowd.

Harry Kettle - May 8, 2020

UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens has taken inspiration from The Last Dance ahead of his showdown with Calvin Kattar at UFC 249. Stephens is currently riding a four-fight winless streak with his last victory coming back in February 2018 when he knocked out Josh Emmett. While it doesn’t appear as if there’s any risk of him being released, fans will certainly be keeping an eye on his battle with Kattar this weekend to see if he can step his game up a level.

Harry Kettle - May 8, 2020

Former UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis believes he will hold a mental advantage over Donald Cerrone in their rematch at UFC 249 this weekend. While it may not be one of the featured bouts on the main card on Saturday night, Pettis vs Cerrone 2 is certainly gathering a lot of buzz as we get closer and closer to fight night.

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2020

The UFC will make its triumphant return to our screens on Saturday night with UFC 249, which means the fighters on the bill must step onto the scales on Friday morning. UFC 249, which goes down in Jacksonville, Florida, will be headlined by an interim lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. Ferguson was originally expected to battle undisputed champ Khabib Nurmagomedov on April 18, but when Nurmagomedov got stuck in Russia due to travel restrictions associated with the coronavirus pandemic, Gaethje stepped into to battle Ferguson for interim gold.

Natasha Hooper - May 8, 2020

Justin Gaethje explained why his upcoming opponent, Tony Ferguson, will be a harder nut to crack than the lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. UFC 249 was originally expected to be headlined by a title bout between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. However, travel complications surrounding the coronavirus pandemic resulted in Nurmagomedov’s withdrawal from the bout. Instead, Justin Gaethje will face Ferguson in the main event on May 9, in Jacksonville, Florida.

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2020

UFC veteran Donald Cerrone has revealed that he has spoken to a sports psychiatrist regarding his occasional inconsistency in the Octagon. It’s safe to say that many fans were disappointed to see “Cowboy” fall to Conor McGregor in the manner that he did back in January, with the general consensus being that he simply didn’t show up on the night. Cerrone even acknowledged that his head wasn’t in the right place himself. 

Natasha Hooper - May 6, 2020

The updated safety protocols for UFC 249 during the coronavirus pandemic include a policy of no post-fight interviews in the Octagon. The eagerly anticipated UFC 249 fight card was inked for April 18 but was postponed due to the pandemic. Not one to be defeated, UFC president Dana White rescheduled the event for May 9.

Harry Kettle - May 6, 2020

UFC 249 headliner Tony Ferguson has released footage of himself receiving a COVID-19 nasal swab test ahead of this weekend’s event. One of the biggest concerns from critics of the event on Saturday going ahead has been the safety of the fighters involved. While there’s still no guarantee as to what the accuracy of these tests will be, it does appear as if the UFC has put certain measures in place to try and ensure things go as smoothly as they possibly can.

Harry Kettle - May 6, 2020

UFC champion Henry Cejudo has outlined his plans following UFC 249 this weekend — with divisional rival Aljamain Sterling taking exception to it. Cejudo will defend the UFC Bantamweight Championship against former king Dominick Cruz on Saturday night in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to the event itself being controversial, the decision to make Cruz the number one contender has also received quite a bit of pushback.

Tom Taylor - May 5, 2020

Veteran MMA referee turned Bellator commentator John McCarthy believes the UFC’s second stab at promoting UFC 249 will be a success. UFC 249 was originally expected to go down in Las Vegas on April 18. As the coronavirus crisis took hold, however, the card was briefly relocated to the Tachi Palace Casino on the same date, and ultimately canceled altogether.

Cole Shelton - May 4, 2020

Jairzinho Rozenstruik is expecting to continue his knockout streak on Saturday night when he takes on Francis Ngannou at UFC 249. Rozenstruik and Ngannou were expected to headline UFC Columbus and then fight on April 18, but those events were canceled. Now, for Rozenstruik, he finally gets his wish of fighting Ngannou on May 9.

Natasha Hooper - May 4, 2020

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has an opportunity to avenge a loss in a rematch against Anthony Pettis at UFC 249. In recent fights, the UFC veteran has suffered three back-to-back TKOs against Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. However, his first knockout loss came from Pettis. The former lightweight champion body kicked his way to victory in the first round of their 2013 bout. Now, the pair will get the chance to run it back on the revised UFC 249 card on May 9. Cerrone intends on getting back to winning form (without suffering a body kick in the process).

Adam Martin - May 4, 2020

The sportsbooks have released the full slate of betting odds for this weekend’s UFC 249 event, including the main event of Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje. UFC 249 was originally set to take place on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York, and later at Tachi Palace in Leemore, California. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, both of those previous versions of the card were canceled. But UFC president Dana White remained adamant all along that the show would go on, and when the state of Florida declared sports an essential business, it allowed the UFC the opportunity to hold its events there.

Harry Kettle - May 4, 2020

Boxing promoter Bob Arum has voiced his displeasure regarding the UFC’s persistence in trying to go ahead with events in Florida during the pandemic. It’s no secret that Arum doesn’t exactly see eye to eye with UFC president Dana White, with the pair constantly going back and forth at one another over the years in one of the most notable rivalries between promoters in combat sports.

Chris Taylor - May 2, 2020

Henry Cejudo will be looking to earn his first bantamweight title defense when he takes on former division champion Dominick Cruz in the co-main event of UFC 249. ‘Triple C’ captured the promotions vacant 135-pound title at UFC 238 in June of 2019, scoring a third round TKO victory over Marlon Moraes.

Chris Taylor - May 2, 2020

Former heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou will return to the Octagon at UFC 249 for a pivotal clash with Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The bout will mark Ngannou’s first appearance since June of 2019, where he scored a first round TKO victory over former title holder Junior dos Santos in Minneapolis.