The UFC is hoping to get back to business as soon as possible. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that the UFC is looking to have an event on May 9. The card is projected to have three title fights on the main card, with an impressive undercard. As of now, Okamoto reports that some of the fighters have verbally agreed and that it’s still being worked on.
Here is the *targeted* card for May 9. Very fluid. Some have verbally agreed, others are hesitant and want more details. Fighters want to fight but these are crazy circumstances, obviously. But … this is the card as of today, UFC is working on. pic.twitter.com/7s7OfwXOW9
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 15, 2020
It was reported this week that Florida had declared professional sports an “essential service.” This allows the UFC to hold an event in Florida soon, as long as they follow protocol. However, UFC President Dana White is looking to hold the events in Las Vegas, Nevada and is expecting to have events in the UFC Apex Center.
The problem, for now, is that the Nevada Athletic Commission doesn’t expect sporting events to happen in Las Vegas anytime soon. Executive Director of the Nevada Athletic Commission Bob Bennett spoke with Yahoo Sports and said, “I can tell you that the Nevada Athletic Commission is going to listen to the doctors, the scientists, all the experts before making any decision [about when to allow fights in the state]. Bennett also said, “One of the things that I always say is that everything we do is about the health and safety of the fighters. That’s still true, but now I have to extend that to make it about the health and safety of my staff, of the production crew, the officials, our referees and judges and any of the people who would need to be involved to put an event on.” Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak extended the banning of mass gatherings to the end of April. Until the ban is lifted, the Nevada Athletic Commission will not authorize fights.
The only confirmed title fight for the projected card is Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight championship. Ferguson was originally scheduled to fight lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, but due to miscommunication Nurmagomedov is unable to compete. Ferguson vs Gaethje was supposed to headline UFC 249 but is now slated to be the main event of the card on May 9. All other fights are being worked on, with fighters not scheduled to compete hoping to fight on the card. If the projected card does happen, it may be considered one of the biggest UFC fight card in its history.