UFC 249 is set for May 9 and is being held in Florida.
MMAFighting.com is reporting that the May 9 event will indeed be taking place in Florida. The promotion hasn’t said what the name of the pay-per-view will be, but it’s being reported that it’ll be UFC 249. This event was supposed to take place on April 18 but pressure from Disney, ESPN, and the state of California put a halt to those plans.
The problem with the UFC’s original plan for UFC 249 is that the promotion tried holding the event on tribal land. If plans would’ve moved forward, the UFC would’ve been free of adhering to the California State Athletic Commission and the state’s stay-at-home order. It’s been reported that California governor Gavin Newsom ultimately stopped the event from happening.
The report won’t come as a surprise to most. The state of Florida has deemed sporting events on a national level “essential.” While other states such as Georgia are starting the process of reopening, Florida has been a strong lock for organizations such as UFC and WWE.
MMAFighting reached out to the Florida State Boxing Commission. In a followup email, it was confirmed that the commission is prepared regulate sporting events as long as the proper precautions are taken amid the coronavirus pandemic.
UFC 249 is scheduled to be headlined by an interim lightweight title bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. In the co-main event, UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo will put his gold on the line against Dominick Cruz.
