Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 249 event in Jacksonville, Fla.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 249 went with as their backing tracks in Jacksonville, Fla.
Vicente Luque spoke to the media after his win at UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Vicente Luque spoke to the media after his win at UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Fla.
It was a much more competitive fight than the first, but Vicente Luque stopped Niko Price again in their rematch at UFC 249.
It was a much more competitive fight than their first meeting, but the winner was still the same as [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] topped [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] in their rematch at UFC 249.
After scoring a second-round submission win in October 2017, Luque (18-7-1 MMA, 11-3 UFC) picked up a third-round TKO due to a doctor’s stoppage at 3:37 after an offensive assault that shut the eye of Price (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC). “The Silent Assassin” has now won eight of his past nine fights.
The welterweight bout was part of the UFC 249 preliminary card at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It aired on ESPN/ESPN+ following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+ and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.
Control of the fight was taken by Luque in the opening two minutes as he landed a number of chopping leg kicks on Price that caused damage and irritation. Price wouldn’t let it stop him completely, though, and marched forward with strikes of his own before getting a takedown. Price threatened with a submission, but Luque was able to get up and, despite taking a front kick to the face, landed some good strikes to close the round.
The pair went right back to work to begin the second frame. Luque took advantage of Price’s aggression, landing solid counter-punches and continuing to batter the legs of his opponent with kicks. Price found a groove and answered, though, connecting hard on Luque and putting him in some danger. Price got too wild, however, and was dropped with a tight right hand. He recovered and got back up, while Luque stayed disciplined and picked Price apart with punches and kicks to close a strong round.
For the first time in his UFC career, Price saw a third round. He responded well, offering a high output to start the frame. Luque showed patience as Price trie to walk him down, mixing up his offense to the face and body of his opponent. Price’s grit was evident, though, because he kept on trying and throwing, even going for a takedown attempt. Unfortunately for him, Price couldn’t find the one big moment he needed to turn the tide, and it was Luque who got it. Luque dropped a bloodied Price with just over two minutes late, but somehow didn’t get the finish.
Price’s eye was badly swollen, though, and referee Jason Herzog decided to intervene and bring in the doctor. After a brief exchange, Price was deemed unfit to continue and Luque was awarded the win.
“I prepared for the best Niko Price possible,” Luque said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “I beat him last time and I knew he would come prepared and ready. … First event back with everything that’s going on and I just wanted to put on a show.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC 249 results include:
Highlighting Saturday’s UFC 249 with a three-fight parlay, with odds, analysis and picks.
UFC 249 goes off from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., Saturday night, the first live sporting event in the United States since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. While there will be no fans in attendance, that shouldn’t affect the wagering aspect of the event, giving sports-starved bettors finally something to wager on.
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday, May 7 at 8:35 p.m. ET.
Want to place a bet on UFC 249? Place them at BetMGM. New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!
Per BetMGM, Pettis (-150) is favored over Cowboy (+125) on the 2-way betting line, but that’s not the wager to make.
Pettis is 9-9 in 18 bouts at the UFC level, while posting a 1-3 mark across the past four outings, and 4-8 in the past 12. He has been knocked out in three of his past eight appearances, while four of his previous six victories have come via submission. In other words, he doesn’t see the judges getting involved in his fights very often.
For Cerrone, he is 0-3 across his past three outings. However, while he has been knocked out in those losses, it has been against the cream of the crop in Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson – the latter two are the main event Saturday in a bout for the lightweight strap.
Meanwhile, Cowboy is back in the welterweight class, where he has a little more experience. He was knocked out by Pettis at UFC on FOX Jan. 26, 2013, and only three of his previous 17 bouts have gone the distance.
The best bet here is to take UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-125) in our three-piece parlay.
Also see:
Esparza (-159) is a moderate favorite over Waterson, a.k.a. “The Karate Hottie.” The latter hasn’t been so hot for bettors in the octagon lately, however, going just 3-3 in his past six bouts. More importantly, Waterson has gone the distance in each of her past five bouts.
For Esparza, all five of her victories have at the UFC level have come via decision, including four of the unanimous variety. She topped Alexa Grasso Sept. 21, 2019 by majority decision last time out. Avoid any bets on the 2-way line, but look to the OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (-455) for part II of this three-fight parlay.
Luque (-304) is a heavy favorite in this early preliminary bout, but like the previous two fights, look to the round total play for the final play of our three-fight parlay.
Eight of Luque’s past 10 professional wins have come in the second round or earlier, and four of his past five have come via KO/TKO. Only one of his 10 victories have come via decision, too.
For Price, all 10 of his UFC fights have finished inside the distance, and he has never ventured into the third round in any of his bouts. Seven of the outcomes, win or lose, have been via knockout, with three coming by way of submission. He doesn’t leave it in the hands of the judges either way. As such, playing NO (-400) on WILL THE FIGHT GO THE FULL 3 ROUNDS? is the way to go.
New to sports betting? A $20 THREE-PLAY PARLAY wager on these three options will pay a little more than 1.74 to 1, netting a profit of $34.89.
To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.
If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.
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The best facts, figures and footnotes about the UFC 249 prelims, where Donald Cerrone rematches Anthony Pettis in the featured bout.
The UFC’s return from the coronavirus pandemic goes down Saturday with UFC 249, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and features a deep preliminary card.
Headlining the action, which airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass, is a welterweight rematch between two all-time fan favorites. [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (22-10 MMA, 9-9 UFC) and [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-14 MMA, 23-11 UFC) will run it back after “Showtime” stopped “Cowboy” by first-round TKO when they met at UFC on FOX 6 in January 2013.
It’s an important fight for both men, but it doesn’t represent all the prelim lineup has to offer. For more on the numbers, check below for 70 pre-event facts about the UFC 249 prelims.
* * * *
Pettis returns to the UFC welterweight division after a one-fight stint at lightweight. He’s 1-1 when fighting in the weight class.
Pettis is one of nine fighters in UFC history to earn victories in three weight classes.
Pettis is 4-8 in his past 12 UFC appearance dating back to when he lost the UFC lightweight title in March 2015.
Pettis has earned 18 of his 22 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his nine UFC wins.
Pettis’ five submission victories from a bottom position in UFC/WEC competition are tied with Diaz for most in combined company history.
Cerrone has fought on Spike, Versus, FUEL TV, pay-per-view, FOX, FS1, UFC Fight Pass, ESPN and ESPN+ during his UFC tenure.
Cerrone competes in his 35th UFC bout, the most appearances in company history.
Cerrone makes his 45th UFC/WEC appearance, the most in combined organizational history.
Cerrone’s 45 appearances in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are most in combined organizational history.
Cerrone makes his 12th UFC welterweight appearance. He’s 6-5 when fighting in the weight class.
Cerrone’s 24 appearances since 2014 in UFC competition are most in the company.
Cerrone’s 23 victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Cerrone’s 29 victories in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are most in combined organization history.
Cerrone’s 17 victories in UFC lightweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jim Miller (19).
Cerrone’s 16 stoppage victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Cerrone’s 20 stoppage victories in UFC/WEC competition are the most in combined organizational history.
Cerrone’s 20 stoppage victories in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are tied with Wanderlei Silva for second most in combined organizational history behind Mirko Cro Cop (21).
Cerrone’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Joe Lauzon (13) and Miller (12).
Cerrone’s seven knockout victories stemming from kicks in UFC competition are most in company history. No one else has more than four.
Cerrone’s eight submission victories in UFC/WEC lightweight competition are tied for third most in combined divisional history behind Miller (nine) and Nate Diaz (nine).
Cerrone’s 20 knockdowns landed in UFC competition are most in company history.
Cerrone has landed 378 leg kicks in UFC competition, the fourth most in company history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (430), Thiago Alves (383) and Jon Jones (380).
Cerrone defends 90 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC lightweight competition, the best rate among active fighters in the weight class and second highest in divisional history behind Gleison Tibau (92 percent).
Cerrone’s 23 fight-night bonuses in UFC/WEC bouts are the most in combined organizational history.
Cerrone’s 18 fight-night bonuses in UFC bouts are most in company history.
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (58-13-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC), 42, is the oldest active fighter in the UFC heavyweight division and is the oldest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Oleinik is the only fighter in MMA history to earn victories in four different decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s).
Oleinik’s average fight time of 5:26 in UFC heavyweight fights is fourth shortest in divisional history behind Cyril Asker (3:24), Todd Duffee (3:26) and Shane Carwin (4:55).
Oleinik has earned 54 of his 58 career victories by stoppage. That includes all seven of his UFC wins.
Oleinik has earned 46 of his 58 career victories by submission.
Oleinik’s six submission victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Frank Mir (eight).
Oleinik has earned two of the three Ezekiel-choke submission victories in UFC history. He accomplished the feat at UFC 224 and UFC Fight Night 103. Remco Pardoel also won with the technique at UFC 2.
Oleinik attempts 2.76 submissions per 15 minutes of fighting in UFC heavyweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (23-8-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since March 17, 2018. The 784-day layoff is the longest of his nearly 18-year career.
Werdum is 9-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.
Werdum and Marcin Tybura combined for 282 significant strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 121, the second most in a UFC heavyweight bout Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier (304) at UFC 241.
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) was the first UFC strawweight champion. She lost the belt to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 in March 2015.
Esparza is 5-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.
Esparza’s six victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10), Jessica Andrade (seven) and Angela Hill (seven).
Esparza has completed at least one takedown against nine of her 10 UFC opponents.
Esparza’s 33 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Claudia Gadelha for most in divisional history.
Esparza has earned five of her six UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] (17-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) has completed at least one takedown against seven of her eight UFC opponents.
Waterson’s two submission victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Rose Namajunas (three) and Cynthia Calvillo (three).
Waterson lands 52.9 percent of her significant strike attempts in UFC strawweight competition, the third best rate in divisional history behind Suarez (65.8 percent) and Paige VanZant (53 percent).
[autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 8-7 UFC) is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the head. Renan Barao and Magomed Mustafaev also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since November 2018.
Souza returns to the UFC middleweight division after an unsuccessful one-fight stint at light heavyweight.
Souza’s 14 victories in UFC/Strikeforce middleweight competition are tied for third most in combined divisional history behind Michael Bisping (16) and Luke Rockhold (15).
Souza’s 12 stoppage victories in UFC/Strikeforce middleweight competition are second most in combined divisional history behind Rockhold (13).
Souza’s seven fight-night bonuses fo UFC middleweight bouts are tie for third most in divisional history behind Anderson Silva (12) and Yoel Romero (eight).
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]’s (17-7-1 MMA, 10-3 UFC) has earned 15 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. That includes nine of his 10 UFC wins.
Luque’s nine stoppage victories since 2015 in UFC welterweight competition are most in the division during that span.
Luque’s nine stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Matt Brown (13) and Matt Hughes (12).
Luque is one of seven fighters in UFC history to earn their first nine victories with the promotion by stoppage. Lauzon, Francis Ngannou, Vitor Belfort, Don Frye, Gabriel Gonzaga and Royce Gracie also accomplished the feat.
Luque and Bryan Barberena combined for 332 significant strikes at UFC on ESPN 1, the third most for a three-round fight in UFC history behind Karol Rosa vs. Lara Procopio (336) at UFC on ESPN+ 15 and Diaz vs. Cerrone (334) at UFC 141.
Luque’s two D’Arce choke victories in UFC competition are tied with Dustin Poirier for second most in company history behind Tony Ferguson (three).
Luque is one of 17 fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by anaconda choke. He accomplished the feat at UFC on FOX 17.
[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past five fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 19.
Price’s average fight time of 5:35 in UFC welterweight competition is second shortest among active fighters in the weight class behind Abdul Razak Alhassan (4:57).
Price has earned 13 of his 14 career victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his UFC wins.
Price is one of two fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from an upkick. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 19. Jon Fitch also won with the technique.
Price has earned two of the three knockout victories in UFC history stemming from bottom position. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 19 and UFC Fight Night 133.
[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is one of two fighters in UFC history to earn a Twister submission victory. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 7. Chan Sung Jung also won with the technique.
[autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN 6.
Rosa has been awarded four fight-night bonuses in his six-fight UFC career.
Rosa’s submission of Sean Soriano at 4:43 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 59 marked the latest finish in a three-round UFC featherweight bout.
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]’s (17-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Jones (four) and Magomed Ankalaev (four).
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag]’s (33-13 MMA, 10-8 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since June 2018.
Alvey is 2-3 since he moved up to the UFC light-heavyweight division in February 2018.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Identifying the most significant storyline for each UFC 249 prelim matchup.
Every UFC fight has a storyline to it. The general public might not always be deeply invested, but whether it’s for a championship or marks a debut, each fight represents a pivotal moment for the athletes.
With every trip to the octagon comes a narrative. What does a win mean in the short term? The long term? What fights are on the horizon with an impressive performance? What new skills or weaknesses will be revealed?
The potential storylines are endless, and we’re here to help identify the most significant one for each fight, this time at UFC 249, which takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Today, we look at the prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
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There’s no starvation for narratives in this one as fan favorites Pettis and Cerrone look to shake the public perception of disappointment in their most recent performances and add some stability to their respective careers.
Pettis is coming off arguably his worst loss to date against Diego Ferreira. “Showtime” has bounced around weight classes in hopes of adding some measure of consistency to his results. It’s been to no avail, but now Pettis is being set up to rematch an opponent he already blew past in less than three minutes back in January 2013. It’s critical for Pettis to win if he wants to keep getting big-name fights, because another loss would push his UFC record to sub-.500 territory.
Cerrone is not in danger of having his winning percentage fall below even, but he is facing the longest skid of his career. The last time “Cowboy” lost three straight he rebounded in resounding fashion, but this assignment feels tougher. Cerrone has been stopped in all three of his recent defeats, and the questions have started to come about damage absorbed entering his 35th UFC fight. That’s a concern that’s not going to go away, but Cerrone can evade hard questions about fighting life with a win.
Does former UFC heavyweight champ Werdum still have it after a layoff of more than two years due to a USADA suspension? That is the big question surrounding his return bout against fellow submission ace Oleinik.
Werdum, now 42, was the best heavyweight in the world for a good time. It’s hard to envision him returning to that point at his age and following so much time off. Even if he beats Oleinik, it’s not exactly the most telling litmus test for where he stands.
The Brazilian is a welcomed readdition to the heavyweight ranks, though, and his ability to get future fights of worthy is heavily dependent on his performance against Oleinik, who will try to beat an ex-UFC champ for the first time.
It’s been five years since Esparza’s reign as the UFC’s inaugural 115-pound champ came to an end, and dropping some key bouts have prevented her from getting back to the strap. She’s coming off back-to-back wins, though, and if “The Cookie Monster” is ever going to see another title fight, then getting this one against Waterson is essential.
“The Karate Hottie” enters in a similar situation. She’s fallen just shy of securing a title shot on multiple occasions, and opportunities could soon be running out. Beating a former champion like Esparza would be just the statement she needs to continue to connect her name to title contention.
At long last Hall has seemingly found his way since linking up with Fortis MMA. Hall has started to really come into his own over the past couple fights, but his opponents haven’t been of Souza’s caliber. Can he get through the challenge and start churning out results that support all the hype he got entering the UFC?
“Jacare,” on the other hand, is trying to hang on to his final bits of relevance as a middleweight contender and reinforce that he shouldn’t be written off entirely. Souza is one of the best to never fight for a UFC title, but at 40, on the first losing skid of his career, and now returning to 185 pounds after an unsuccessful experiment at light heavyweight, it feels like a win is needed to extend his fighting life.
Important lesson for Vicente Luque.
[autotag]Vicente Luque [/autotag] had to take a good look at the way he was handling his fighting career following his most recent bout.
The rising welterweight contender suffered a tough loss to former title challenger Stephen Thompson back in November at UFC 244 in New York. The defeat snapped a six-fight winning streak for Luque (17-7-1 MMA, 10-3 UFC), a run that had him pick up five impressive stoppages and had many in MMA community eying him as the next big thing at 170 pounds.
It was a tough pill to swallow, but Luque handled the loss with grace – not making any excuses and giving full credit to Thompson, saying “Wonderboy” exposed many flaws in his game:
Now gearing up for a return to the Octagon at UFC 249 on May 9, Luque opened up about some of the lessons learned in his most recent defeat.
“I definitely had some good time the rest of November and December, I took some time off to rest my body,” Luque told MMA Junkie. “I had a busy year last year. I had four fights, so I needed a rest.
“Then all of February, January April, March I’ve been working a lot and just improving a lot. I think I’m definitely a different fighter now. Not only the mistakes I made in that fight, but I also saw I had to change.
“I fought four times last year, I watched those four fights, and I don’t look so different from one to the other, so guys can read me. If I’m always doing the same things, I have to add to that. I’m not going to stop doing what I’m good at, but I need to add new things, so that’s what I’ve been working on. I also put on some boxing. Boxing is great, and I’ve been doing a lot of work with a boxing coach and get some hand speed, so that’s good.”
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Luque felt his game was becoming predictable due to the lack of evolution from fight to fight. It was an issue he was able to get away with middle-tier competition, but once he got an adversary from the upper echelon like Thompson, it was something he couldn’t get away with without addressing.
“Yeah, definitely (predictable),” Luque said. “Especially at the high level, when you fight someone like Stephen Thompson, he studies fights, and he’s watching every single mistake I make, so he can capitalize on that.
“So at this level, we need to change and evolve very single fight. I felt that maybe that’s something I didn’t do so much last year. I wanted to have a high pace of fights. I wanted to have many fights, but that didn’t give me time to look at myself. I was always looking at my next opponent, at what he’s going to do, how do I fight him, and I forgot a little bit about myself. That’s what I did this time. How can I become a better me? How can I grow and be a better fighter?”
At 28 years of age, Luque is fit and able to compete often. He fought four times in 2019. The Brazilian thinks a busy schedule is not ideal for growth and plans on tuning down the number of fights moving forward, so he was time to evolve and add new tools to his game.
“I think four fights a year is not something realistic from now on,” Luque said. “I definitely want good fights, have some time to work myself, and get ready for that specific fight. But I’m not the kind of guy that can do less than two fights a year.
“I’m pushing for three even with everything that’s going on (with the coronavirus pandemic). It’s hard because I have to balance taking some good time for me to grow after every single fight, but also keep my self active. I’m always way better when I’m active, so I think three fights a year makes sense. I can have three great fights, rest my body up, and not over do it. I think three fights make sense for me.”
The bout at UFC 249 in will be a rematch for Luque, as he defeated Price in 2017. He still thinks he will come out on top, but believes the fight will look different than the first.
UFC 249 is the first event for the company since they were forced to halt operations due to coronavirus bans and restrictions on public gatherings and non-essential business. The pay-per-view card takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
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Vicente Luque is expecting a more experienced Niko Price from their first meeting but is ready to showcase his own evolution, too.
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] is expecting a different [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] this time around.
Luque (17-7-1 MMA, 10-3 UFC) faces Price at UFC 249, a rematch from their first meeting in 2017, where Luque submitted Price in the second round.
Since that fight, both men have found success in the division, notching big wins. Luque has won six of his last seven, and despite stopping Price in their first meeting, he’s not taking him lightly.
He’s expecting a much more evolved version.
“I was just ready to fight so whoever it was, I was going to fight because I’m ready, I’m feeling good,” Luque told MMA Junkie. “I want to go out there and perform so Niko Price made sense. He’s a great fighter, he’s aggressive, he’s coming off a great win over James Vick so for the fans, I know that this is gonna be a great fight.
“It’s gonna be an exciting fight, both of us are aggressive so all of this made sense for me, and game plan wise, I’m definitely not looking at him as the same Niko Price I beat almost three years ago. He had a lot of time to evolve, I’ve changed a lot so I’m looking at this as a new fight, as a new opponent, and I’m gonna go out there and do my best.”
Price (14-3 MMA, 6-3) has scored some wild finishes, two off of his back, making him a dangerous, and unpredictable opponent, but Luque will look to turn those aggressive attributes to his favor, and land another finish.
“I think he’s more experienced and a little bit more aggressive so the aggressiveness can be good and bad for him,” Luque said. “So if I can capitalize on that, I will try. Maybe put some counters in there. I see he really wants to put pressure on his opponents and I believe he’s going to try and do the same with me. Overall I think he has gained a lot of experienced so now he knows how to pace himself a little bit, and get some good comebacks.”
UFC 249 takes place May 9 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card is expected to stream on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
In the latest edition of Triple Take, we dive into the fights below the title bouts at UFC 249. There are some great ones, but what’s the best?
The UFC returns May 9 for the first of three events in a one-week stretch in Jacksonville, Fla. There are two title fights atop the bill. But below those championship bouts are some great other matchups.
So which one of those fights is the most appealing? MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun, Nolan King and Danny Segura give their opinions in the latest edition of Triple Take.
* * * *
There is no doubt that this is the No. 1 contender fight at heavyweight, and the stakes are very high.
[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] has been chomping at the bit to get another crack at the title, having knocked out his last three opponents in the first round. He’s had a tough time finding opponents, but undefeated prospect [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] has stepped up.
Rozenstruik is coming off an incredible comeback win over Alistair Overeem and finds himself with a massive opportunity to knock off the top-ranked Ngannou and leapfrog the rest of the division for a title shot.
With nearly a 100 percent finish rate between them, it’s likely that one of them will go down in a matchup that pits two of the hardest hitters in the division.
The trilogy bout between champion Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier is yet to be booked, prompting both Ngannou and Rozenstruik to request that their fight be for the interim title. But the UFC was not on board.
Either way, the next title challenger will most definitely emerge from this fight.
Next page – Nolan King: Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens
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The UFC is eying a May 9 return, with an event at a location to be determined, but a blockbuster lineup in mind.
The UFC may be back sooner than anticipated.
When UFC president Dana White canceled UFC 249, he also postponed all subsequent events indefinitely due to restrictions caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as well as a request to stand down by the UFC’s broadcast partners at ESPN and Disney. However, the promotion is now eying a May 9 return, with an event at a location to be determined.
Tuesday, MMA Junkie confirmed the UFC’s considered plans with a person with knowledge of the situation. The person asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Fighting was the first to report the plans.
Dana White later informed ESPN the promotion is looking to rebook various big fights that were delayed by the schedule change, including [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (originally set to headline UFC 249), [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] (originally in the works to headline UFC 250), [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (originally set to co-headline UFC 250), and [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (originally set to headline UFC on ESPN 8).
Upon announcing the cancellation and postponements, White promised the UFC would be the first sporting organization to return to normalcy – whether it be on a mysterious “Fight Island” he said the company is currently constructing, or elsewhere.
“We will be the first sport back,” White said. “‘Fight Island’ is real. It’s a real thing. The infrastructure is being built right now, and that’s really going to happen. It will be on ESPN.”
If the event isn’t scheduled for “Fight Island,” the state of Florida could be another potential location for the UFC to hold the May 9 card. In a press release issued Monday, Florida governor Ron DeSantis revealed some sporting events, including WWE, will be deemed essential businesses.
It’s unknown if Tachi Palace Casino in Lemore, Calif. could be in the cards, as well. The Indian reservation casino was targeted to be the new home of UFC 249 on April 18, prior to ESPN and Disney executives asking the UFC to cancel the event entirely.
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Prior to the announcement of postponements, the UFC had 11 events publicly on tap: UFC 249 (April 18 in Lemore, Calif.), UFC on ESPN+ 31 (April 25 in Lemore, Calif.), UFC on ESPN+ 32 (May 2 in Lemore, Calif.), UFC 250 (May 9 at Location TBD), UFC on ESPN+ 33 (May 16 in San Diego), UFC 251 (June 6 in Perth, Australia), UFC Kazakhstan (June 13 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakstan), UFC Saskatoon (June 20 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada), UFC Austin (June 27 in Austin, Texas), UFC 252 (July 11 in Las Vegas), and UFC Dublin (Aug. 15 in Dublin, Ireland).
The status of all above events are currently unknown.
According to ESPN, the proposed May 9 event includes the following lineup:
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