BACK TO ‘normalcy’ is the goal for UFC 249.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — UFC President Dana White still wants “Fight Island.”
He’s temporarily settling for a peninsula.
UFC 249 will serve as the first major sporting event to take place since the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the country nearly two months ago. The bouts tonight in Jacksonville — the main event is on ESPN-plus streaming service — are expected to draw a large viewing audience.
There’s nothing virtual about the reality of getting punched in the face.
“Right now there is no Olympics. There is no Wimbledon. There is no NBA drafts. No NFL drafts,” lightweight contender and mainevent fighter Tony Ferguson said. “There is no … tennis. There is no soccer, hockey. There is no baseball. This is what we bring to the table man and we are going out there and do our best and we are going to keep sports alive.”
Ferguson and fellow lightweight contender Justin Gaethje will headline the mixed martial arts card behind closed doors at Veterans Memorial Arena.
“This is going to bring a sense of normalcy to people,” Gaethje said. “Proud to be a part of it, you know the opportunity to inspire. People need to be inspired right now. They need to not let themselves become depressed, emotional because they can’t control what is going on right now.
“We have got to ride it through, and they need to be inspired in a way and we can do that. We have the opportunity.”
The undercard will be broadcast on ESPN.
Other fights on the card include:
■ Henry Cejudo (15-2) will defend his UFC bantamweight championship against former title-holder Dominick Cruz (22-2).
■ Francis Ngannou (14-3) fights undefeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-0) in a heavyweight bout.
■ Jeremy Stephens (28-17) and Calvin Kattar (20-4) tangle in a matchup of featherweight contenders.
■ Former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy (5-1) goes against unbeaten Yorgan De Castro (5-0) in another heavyweight bout.
■ And Donald Cerrone (3614) takes on Anthony Pettis (22-10) in a welterweight fight.
UFC 249 was originally scheduled for April 18 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The next two major events — UFC 250 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and UFC 251 in Perth, Australia — already have been postponed because of the global pandemic.
White, meanwhile, continues to work to try to stage international bouts on a private island.
Unbeaten lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov initially was slated to fight Ferguson for the lightweight title, but travel restrictions forced Nurmagomedov to be replaced by Gaethje.
Ferguson and Gaethje will vie for the title of “interim lightweight champion.”
“You will be recognized as the No. 2 man in the world,” Ferguson said. “Khabib can’t fight right now, so these are the two baddest men on the planet in this weight class fighting this weekend for the right to call themselves the best and then ultimately challenge Khabib.”