A featherweight bout between Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar was expected to take place at UFC 248.[12] However, Stephens was removed from the card in mid-January with an injury.[13] The pairing was rescheduled for this event.[14]
A heavyweight bout between Shamil Abdurakhimov and Ciryl Gane was scheduled for the event. However, it was announced on March 5 that Gane was forced to pull out of the event after he was struck by a pneumothorax in training and the bout was eventually scrapped.[15]
A welterweight bout between former Bellator Welterweight ChampionLyman Good and Belal Muhammad was scheduled for this event.[16] The pairing was previously expected to meet at UFC 205 in November 2016, but Good was pulled from that event after being notified by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) due to a potential anti-doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test.[17] However, Good pulled out due to injury on April 4 and the bout was scrapped.[18] It was announced on April 20 that Good actually tested positive for COVID-19, being the first fighter to publicly acknowledge the fact.[19]
A women's strawweight rematch between former UFC Women's Strawweight ChampionsJéssica Andrade and Rose Namajunas was expected to co-headline the event.[20] The pairing previously met at UFC 237 in May 2019, where Andrade won via second round TKO to capture the title.[21] However, Namajunas pulled out on April 8 due to personal reasons, with her manager citing a pair of deaths in the family related to the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason.[22][23]
COVID-19 pandemic – the April 18 date is postponed
On March 12, New York governorAndrew Cuomo issued an order restricting mass gatherings and sporting events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[citation needed] Four days later, UFC president Dana White announced via a letter to employees shared to the public that this event "is still scheduled as planned, but the location may change".[24] On March 18, the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) announced that the event would not be sanctioned to take place at the event's original site, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.[25] On March 23, White revealed that he already had a new location for this event, but would only confirm that it will be held behind closed doors.[26] White subsequently added on March 25 that the card could feature a different lineup, depending on the logistics.[27]
Khabib Nurmagomedov stated on March 30 that he was in Dagestan and his participation at the event could be jeopardized due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[28] He stated on April 1 that he would probably not be competing at the event and reinforced that people should be in quarantine anyhow.[29][30] He later confirmed that he would compete if a location was given and they were able to move him there, but did not see it happening.[31]
The UFC announced on April 6 that Nurmagomedov would be replaced by former WSOF Lightweight ChampionJustin Gaethje, with an interim title to be disputed between him and Tony Ferguson.[33] The rest of the card also underwent changes, with the following fights being added as well:[34]
On April 9, White announced that this event would not take place as scheduled and all other UFC events would be suspended until further notice, citing interventions from high-ranking staff of the UFC's U.S. media rightsholders, ESPN Inc. and parent The Walt Disney Company.[41][42] It was later revealed that the 40th governor of California, Gavin Newsom, influenced the decision of cancelling the event.[43]
Due to the event being expected to be relocated to the United States, several changes were made due to fighters being unable to compete due to visa issues:[50]
On April 21, it was announced that the UFC moved UFC 249 to the new date, marking the promotion's return after the first wave of cancellations, most likely in Florida.[3][4] Florida venues are permitted to host UFC events behind closed doors as a result of Executive Order 20-91 signed April 9, 2020 by governor Ron DeSantis, specifically stating as an essential service, "employees at a professional sports and media production with a national audience - including any athletes, entertainers, production team, executive team, media team and any others necessary to facilitate including services supporting such production - only if the location is closed to the general public."[52] They confirmed the new card on April 24, with the Ferguson vs. Gaethje bout still scheduled to serve as the event headliner.[53] The organization also announced that it would host two other events on May 13 and 16, both in Jacksonville. The rest of the card featured the following fights:[53]
Fights that were originally expected to take place at this event on April 18, but later expected to be rescheduled for future cards included Hernandez vs. Morales, Vera vs. Borg, Worthy vs. Johnson and a women's bantamweight bout between Sijara Eubanks and Sarah Moras.[53]
At the weigh-ins, Jeremy Stephens weighed in at 150.5 pounds, four and a half pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. He was fined 30% of his purse and his bout with Calvin Kattar proceeded at a catchweight.[57] Additionally, a middleweight bout between former Strikeforce Middleweight ChampionRonaldo Souza and Uriah Hall was cancelled after Souza and two of his cornermen tested positive for COVID-19.[58]
The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[60]
Fight of the Night: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje
Performance of the Night: Justin Gaethje and Francis Ngannou
Reported payout
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Florida State Boxing Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses. The total disclosed payout for the event was $3,557,000.[61]
Justin Gaethje: $350,000 def. Tony Ferguson: $500,000
Henry Cejudo: $350,000 def. Dominick Cruz: $300,000
Francis Ngannou: $260,000 def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik: $80,000
Calvin Kattar: $116,100 def. Jeremy Stephens: $46,900 ^
Greg Hardy: $180,000 def. Yorgan de Castro: $12,000
Anthony Pettis: $310,000 def. Donald Cerrone: $200,000
Aleksei Oleinik: $160,000 def. Fabrício Werdum: $100,000
