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Nicolas Atkin

Fresh from confirming he has a location “somewhere on earth” secured for UFC 249, Dana White announced the company doesn’t plan on leaving any time soon.
Justin Gaethje will step in for Khabib Nurmagomedov to fight Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title on April 18. Lightweight champ Nurmagomedov is stranded in his native Russia amid the Covid-19 crisis.
The escalation of the coronavirus outbreak in the US forced the UFC to scramble for a new location in the US for UFC 249 – originally set for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York – after exploring the possibility of hosting the event in Abu Dhabi.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, White did not reveal the new location, saying with a smile: “So the location of UFC 249 is ESPN.”


“We’ve been working on this since it fell apart, and every day we would wake up and the world has changed,” White added. “This is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do.
“Both these guys are being absolute studs, stepping up and taking this fight, Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson. So I locked this venue up for two months – I’m setting up shop here. We’re gonna be pumping out fights every week.”
UFC ‘securing private island’ for fights during Covid-19 crisis
Nurmagomedov had been training for the Ferguson fight – a match-up that has now fallen apart five times – at American Kickboxing Academy in California before flying to the UAE after being told the fight was “99 per cent in Abu Dhabi”. He was turned away at the border and returned to Dagestan, unable to fly into the US.
“Khabib, just like all of us, was caught in the middle of this thing as the world continued to change day by day, and I was trying to book venues and make this thing happen,” White said.
“It’s not his fault, it’s not anybody’s fault. This is something you never prepare for, plan for or even dream is possible. Las Vegas is shut down – there are no casinos open for a month, maybe more.”


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Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts


UFC president Dana White says he has ‘locked up this venue for two months’
White is keeping location secret for now, after confirming Justin Gaethje will fight Tony Ferguson



UFC president Dana White says he is ‘setting up shop’ in UFC 249’s venue for two months and will put on weekly shows during the Covid-19 crisis, but is yet to reveal the location.


Dana White ‘setting up shop’ in UFC 249 location with fights every week amid coronavirus chaos

UFC president Dana White says he has ‘locked up this venue for two months’ White is keeping location secret for now, after confirming Justin Gaethje will fight Tony Ferguson

UFC president Dana White says he has ‘locked up this venue for two months’

White is keeping location secret for now, after confirming Justin Gaethje will fight Tony Ferguson