UFC president Dana White believes the stacked UFC 249 event might be the best card the promotion has ever put together.
Few would argue that the UFC 249 card is loaded. In the main event, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje will collide for the interim UFC lightweight gold. The co-main event will see bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo put his title on the line against Dominick Cruz. There is also a slew of other notable fighters on the card such as Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Francis Ngannou, Jacare Souza, Fabricio Werdum, and more.
Dana White Hypes Up UFC 249 Card
White spoke to TMZ Sports ahead of the big May 9 card. The UFC boss expressed his belief that the promotion put its best foot forward (h/t BJPenn.com).
“From top to bottom, it’s probably the best card we’ve ever had. The main event is Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje, which is a ridiculous fight. The co-main event is Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz. Ridiculous. Francis Ngannou vs. Jair Rozenstruik. Ridiculous. Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar, Greg Hardy and Yorgan de Castro, Cowboy Cerrone and Anthony Pettis, Aleksei Oleinik vs. Fabricio Werdum, Carla Esparza vs. “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson, Uriah Hall and Jacare Souza, Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price, Bryce Mitchell and Charles Rosa, Ryan Spann and Sam Alvey. Stupid card. Three-and-a-half hours of fights on ESPN. The prelims are three-and-a-half hours on ESPN. Then we go to pay-per-view (on ESPN+),” White said.
UFC 249 was originally going to take place inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on April 18. Fears of the coronavirus forced the UFC to look for a new location. The UFC APEX wasn’t an option as the Nevada State Atheltic Commission suspended all sporting events.
The UFC attempted to move the card to tribal land in California. Pressure from Disney, ESPN, and the state of California put a stop to that plan and the event had to be pushed back.
