UFC president Dana White remains confident as ever that [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] will fight for the lightweight title at UFC 249 on April 18.
In fact, White said he has a new location sorted for the anticipated Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) vs. Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) bout after it was forced out of Barclays Center in New York, by the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Despite already postponing three UFC cards due to the global pandemic, White remains hellbent on overcoming any obstacles to ensure the fight happens. On Monday, the UFC boss confirmed to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports that he has determined where the contest will be held, however, outside of confirming it would be a closed-door event, played coy.
“I do (know where it is),” White said on Instagram Live. “But I’m not ready to tell you yet. I know lots of things. … There’s not going to be any fans there. It’s going to be a closed event.”
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White has been bold in his assertion that, despite any hiccups, UFC business will press on. He’s promised that his organization will be “the first” sport to get back in full swing, but that attitude has been met with some criticism.
Although White snapped back at that criticism this past week, he said he’s not forcing anyone to align with his stance. White said any UFC fighter or staff member with concerns will be afforded all the leeway they need.
“Everybody who is going to be involved in this thing is going to be because they want to be, not because they have to be or they have to do anything,” White said. “Believe me: We didn’t just start thinking about safety when the coronavirus popped up. Health and safety, these are things that normal businesses that are out there right now don’t necessarily have to think about on a daily basis. Healthy and safety is something we’ve been doing long before the coronavirus and we’ll be doing it long after the coronavirus is gone. This is just normal (expletive) for us.”
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