UFC 250 On The Verge Of Moving From Brazil To U.S.

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

It looks like UFC 250 could be the next Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event affected by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent travel restrictions.

Currently scheduled to take place on May 9 live on ESPN+ PPV, UFC 250 is on the verge of being moved from its original location of Sao Paulo, Brazil, to an unknown location in the U.S., according to a recent report by Brazilian news outlet Combate (via Bloody Elbow). The event is expected to be headlined by a bantamweight clash between current UFC champion Henry Cejudo and former featherweight king Jose Aldo.

Per the report, the Sports Department of the State of Sao Paulo has yet to make an official decision to stage UFC 250 or not amidst the rising coronavirus pandemic, but UFC is already looking into moving the PPV card to the States. The premier mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion has already reached out to Aldo and light heavyweight veteran Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in hopes of having the two Brazilian stars secure travel plans in preparation for the potential move.

If UFC 250’s location is changed and Aldo is unable to leave the country of Brazil then the promotion will have to find a suitable replacement to fight Cejudo. Luckily, a former UFC bantamweight champion is waiting to fill Aldo’s shoes.

Unfortunately for fight fans, UFC 250 isn’t the only event being put in doubt by the ongoing COVID-19 spread. The promotion has been desperately scrambling the past few weeks to somehow keep UFC 249 on schedule. That PPV event, which was expected to take place on April 18 and feature a main event grudge match between lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and top contender Tony Ferguson, currently has no official location and a headlining act that is taking on water by the day.

Still, UFC president Dana White remains adamant that the show must go on. The UFC frontman has been vigorously working behind the scenes to somehow piece a card together with two weeks remaining until UFC 249, but his efforts are slowly being thwarted by each and every added coronavirus restriction.

That said, White will presumably try to keep UFC 250 on schedule as well, as the promotion remains one of the only major sports organizations operating at this time. But just because White is going to try to keep UFC 250 in tact doesn’t mean it will still take place in Brazil. That seems like an unlikely scenario at this point given worldwide travel restrictions.

UFC 250 will also feature a co-main event pitting current UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes against top contender Felicia Spencer in a clash of styles at 145 pounds.

For more UFC 250 fight card news click here.