Dana White will announce the entire UFC 249 card this Monday, after confirming the event last night. He also stated that Khabib Nurmagomedov wouldn’t be participating.
Ariel Helwani’s Fake Twitter Profile Creates Massive Hype
A tweet coming from Ariel Hewani’s fake news profile made a lot of confusion on the social networks. It said that Dana White and Vladimir Putin made a special arrangement that would allow Khabib to travel abroad even though the Russian government closed its borders. In a very short notice, the tweet reached massive attention and was also cited in some media, which is why White had to react and stop the false stories.
The UFC president replied to the tweet, saying that Nurmagomedov definitely isn’t going to participate at the event. Yet, he also stated that UFC 249 will go on as planned and that the entire card is going to be revealed on Monday.
His response here is shutting down all the rumors and stories about the potential cancellation of the event. On the other side, the UFC fans across the world are more than happy to see some actions in these tough circumstances.
So pretty much, everyone is now waiting for the announcement of the matches, and in the meantime, there are a lot of speculations about the possible matchups.
Gaethje to Replace Khabib
The No.1 candidate to face Tony Ferguson is Justin Gaethje. The American fighter wasn’t the first option, as many saw Dustin Poirier replacing Nurmagomedov. Some sources even suggested that Ferguson himself wanted Poirier, who lost against Nurmagomedov at the UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi.
A quick response came from the “Diamond,” as the fans call the 31-year old, who accepted the fight knowing that it might be his way back at the top, and the ticket for another title shot against Khabib.
However, Gaethje’s name was also in the combination. As time went by, he became more and more involved in the story and right now, the insiders are claiming that the “Highlight” will face Ferguson on April 18.
The current No.4 in the UFC lightweight rankings is on a three-fight winning streak and aims to add one big scalp to his collection.
UFC 249 Probably in the USA
The same sources are telling that the location of the event will be in the United States. That was one of the biggest questions over the past month, and the reason for Khabib’s eventual withdrawal. He was following certain leads from the organization, which implied that the United Arab Emirates might be the place of his showdown with Ferguson. That didn’t end up well in the end.
One of the possible solutions would be to see UFC 249 on tribal land. In these situations, the regulations of the state athletic commissions are not mandatory, meaning that the event could be organized much better and without certain restrictions.
All this will be resolved this Monday once White makes his address to the public. Many hope to see some other big-name fight beside the headliner, which is also possible, having in mind that there were quite a few guys who wanted their share of action.
