Dana White tweets how difficult it is to keep Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson at UFC 249

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5 years ago

Dana White, UFC President gives a speech during 2019 UFC Performance Institute Panel and UFC Fight Night Shenzhen Press Conference (Photo by Yifan Ding/Getty Images)

The coronavirus pandemic and travel issues could see Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson get called off

UFC president Dana White is in a bit of a pickle regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.

The American has been adamant that UFC 249 will go ahead with Khabib vs Ferguson as the main event.

Dana White, UFC President gives a speech during 2019 UFC Performance Institute Panel and UFC Fight Night Shenzhen Press Conference (Photo by Yifan Ding/Getty Images)

However, the coronavirus pandemic has caused several UFC events to be postponed. UFC 249 is still on the cards, according to White, but he faces a lot of other problems too.

There is a travel ban on international flights in Russia, and Khabib could be training in the region. Ali Abdelaziz, Khabib’s agent, yesterday rubbished suggestions that the Russian was in his native.

That could throw a spanner in the works for White as moving Khabib out of Russia could be a problem.

There is another issue with the location of UFC 249. The US is unlikely to host the event due to the restriction in the number of people who can be in one room.

Khabib Nurmagomedov (L) faces off against Tony Ferguson (R) during a press conference (Digital Trends)

Travelling out of the US is also a risky proposition, and it seems that there is a chance UFC 249 could be cancelled.

White decided to make a joke regarding the issue and posted a video of how he is trying to keep things together.

If did feel like an accurate representation of what is going on, and it will be interesting to see the developments in this story.

Fight card issues

White also has another issue of finalising the fight card for UFC 249. The president needs to rework on some fights due to the unavailability of stars.

Tony Ferguson attends an open workout for UFC 229 at Park Theater at Park MGM on October 03, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ferguson will fight Anthony Pettis in a lightweight bout at UFC 229 on October 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

UFC postponed a few events after UFC Brasil but this is the biggest fight of the year, for now. White has consistently said 249 will go ahead, and if anyone can make it happen, it has to be him.

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Saiyed Adeem Karim

Ditching a corporate job to follow a dream isn't easy, but when football comes calling, who can say no? Been following the beautiful game since 1998. Liverpool addict, F1 fanatic!