UFC: Dana White targets Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje on blockbuster May 9 card despite coronavirus pandemic
- UFC president White also looking to book Henry Cejudo vs Dominick Cruz, Amanda Nunes vs Felicia Spencer
- No location for show yet, according to report by ESPN, after cancellation of UFC 249 amid ongoing Covid-19 crisis
UFC president Dana White is targeting a blockbuster card on May 9 headlined by a rescheduled interim lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, according to a report by ESPN.
White confirmed last week he was shut down at the “highest level” by UFC broadcaster partner ESPN and its parent company, Disney, as he looked to push ahead with UFC 249 at the Tachi Palace casino on April 18. The venue, on tribal land outside Fresno in Northern California, would’ve allowed the UFC to skirt statewide coronavirus limitations imposed by governor Gavin Newsom.
But ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported on Tuesday night that White is looking to get the UFC’s schedule back up on running on May 9, at a location to be determined.
White was adamant last week that the cancellation of UFC 249 would not affect his plans to put on shows on a private “Fight Island”, where he is installing infrastructure.
Okamoto said White is targeting the Ferguson vs Gaethje bout – which had already replaced the show’s original main event between lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Ferguson, with the Russian stranded in his native Dagestan amid the Covid-19 pandemic.