Oddsmakers Pick UFC 249 Location

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president, Dana White, recently stated that he had a location for UFC 249 — set to go down on April 18, 2020 — locked down. Though he wouldn’t reveal details, the confident promoter teased an announcement within the coming weeks. Oddsmakers, though, seem to think they have it figured out.

According to BetOnline.ag, Florida seems to be the likely destination to land the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson sweepstakes at a 2-to-1 favorite. So why Florida? It’s one of the few states that most-recently staged a successful event in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, Combat Night Pro 18 went down last Saturday night (March 21) in Jacksonville.

Should the lightweight title fight come to pass in the state of Florida, it will be a closed door event, which means no fans will be in attendance, with only a select few UFC staff members and athletic commissioners allowed inside. United Arab Emirates and Russia are also in the mix, with Mexico not too far behind.

Check out the rest of the possible options below:

Florida 2/1

United Arab Emirates 7/2

Russia 4/1

Mexico 5/1

Saudi Arabia 9/1

South Africa 10/1

Nevada 14/1

International Waters 25/1

Area 51 80/1

North Korea 100/1

It was recently revealed that a heavyweight fight between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruick could be added to the card, which also features a co-main event fight between Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas.

That said, if the event — which was supposed to go down in Brooklyn, N.Y. — actually happens, don’t expect it to look the way it was originally constructed, as several travel bans and restrictions across the world have made it difficult to get to their desired destinations.