8 burning questions heading into UFC 249

After an unimaginable series of twists and turns, the UFC returns to action Saturday night with the two-title-fight extravaganza that is UFC 249.

This is the first UFC card since March 14, as the entire sports world has been shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

UFC 249 was originally slated to take place in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 18, and feature the long-awaited lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson. 

The New York location was scrapped when the state shut down due to the coronavirus. The UFC then made an ill-advised attempt to run the card on tribal land in California, but the card was shut down due to political pressure.

Now, the state of Florida has greenlit the event, which will be held behind closed doors in Jacksonville, Fla., and will be headlined by Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) vs. Justin Gaethje for an interim lightweight title, while Henry Cejudo puts his bantamweight title on the line against former UFC and WEC champ Dominick Cruz. 

UFC 249 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Without further ado, then, here are eight burning questions leading into UFC 249.

Can Justin Gaethje get his signature win?

Call Gaethje (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) the former World Series of Fighting lightweight champ. Call him the people’s champ. Call him the “Fight of the Night” king.

All these titles would be true. But the validation of wearing a UFC championship belt in the sport’s deepest weight class, even if it is of the promotionally convenient interim variety, would be the long-sought validation that he’s not just an extra tough brawler but, in fact, one of the truly elite mixed martial artists on the planet.

Gaethje has racked up a ridiculous seven post-fight bonuses in six UFC fights, and he’s won three bouts in a row, all via first-round knockout.

But the very top of the division, from a marquee perspective, consists of champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ferguson, and Conor McGregor. And until recently, Gaethje was boxed out of dates with the big three.

That changed when Nurmagomedov had to withdraw from UFC 249 due to travel restrictions and Gaethje had his chance to step up. It’s almost needless to say, but if Gaethje can end Ferguson’s eight-year-long win streak, he won’t have a problem getting the biggest fights for a long time to come.