The UFC is back this Saturday with a pay-per-view event loaded with fantastic bouts.
UFC 249 will take place three weeks after the originally planned date of April 18 and with a new main event and significant changes to the fight card overall. Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomeov was expected to defend his title against Tony Ferguson in the headline bout, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic kept that from happening, again.
Fortunately, Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje stepped up to the plate to face Ferguson on relatively short notice. While it’s not Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson — a fight that many consider as the most highly-anticipated of all-time — it’s still a bout that is destined for greatness.
As UFC president Dana White says, “It’s impossible for this main event to not be f*** ridiculous.”
In the co-main event, Henry Cejudo will defend the UFC Bantamweight Championship against former champion, Dominick Cruz. Cruz hasn’t competed since he lost the title to Cody Garbrandt in December 2016, but that hasn’t stopped the UFC from sliding him straight into title contention upon his return.
The UFC 249 main card will stream exclusively on
UFC 249 fight card
UFC 249 will commence with the start of the prelims at 6:30 pm ET. The main card will air live on ESPN+ PPV starting at 10:00 pm ET.
See below for the bout order and start times for UFC 249:
UFC 249 Main Card – (ESPN+ PPV)
- Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje (12:00 pm)
- Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz (11:30 pm)
- Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (11:00 pm)
- Jeremy Stephens vs. Calvin Kattar (10:30 pm)
- Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan de Castro (10:00 pm)
UFC 249 Prelims
- Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis (9:30 pm)
- Aleksei Oleinik vs. Fabricio Werdum (9:00 pm)
- Carla Esparza vs. Michelle Waterson (8:30 pm)
- Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (8:00 pm)
UFC 249 Early Prelims
- Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price (7:30 pm)
- Bryce Mitchell vs. Charles Rosa (7:00 pm)
- Ryan Spann vs. Sam Alvey (6:30 pm)