Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje fight card set for May 9 will be called UFC 249

Before the coronavirus pandemic thrust the world into a period of unprecedented chaos, the UFC had two big pay-per-views scheduled for April and May: UFC 249, scheduled for April 18 in Las Vegas, and UFC 250, scheduled for May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Both were canceled.

Not long after these cards bit the dust, the UFC announced a new super-card for May 9, which included bouts from the canceled UFC 249 and UFC 250 cards, as well as canceled events in Columbus, Portland and London.

While the announcement of this May 9 card was exciting news for fight fans dying for a fix, there was an immediate logistical issue: it didn’t have a name.

Some fans believed it should be called UFC 249. It’s easy to understand why: the last card to go down was UFC 248. The next card, speaking chronologically, should be UFC 249.

Other fans claimed this new May 9 card should be called UFC 250. That too, was easy to understand: May 9 was the originally scheduled date for UFC 250 in Brazil.

While both sides made strong arguments, the UFC has finally provided some clarity. The May 9 card will be known as UFC 249.

Guys, breaking news: The UFC’s next event has an official name. Per the organization, May 9th, at a location TBA, is officially … UFC 249. Tell your friends.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 21, 2020

“Guys, breaking news: The UFC’s next event has an official name,” ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported on Tuesday. “Per the organization, May 9th, at a location TBA, is officially … UFC 249. Tell your friends.”

UFC 249 will be headlined by an interim lightweight title fight between top contenders Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. The card is also expected to feature a men’s bantamweight title fight between champ Henry Cejudo and challenger Dominick Cruz.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 4/21/2020.