Dana White has now officially confirmed that UFC 249’s new main event on April 18th will be Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje.
Moreover, White says that the fight will be for the interim lightweight title, which will set up the winner to fight current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at some stage in the future.
Gaethje steps in on short notice after Nurmagomedov pulled out of the fight with Ferguson due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which left him stuck in Russia.
Gaethje apparently had no qualms about stepping into the fray and he is coming off a strong three-fight winning streak in which he’s KO’d James Vick in the first round, then did the same to Edson Barboza, and most recently TKO’d Donald Cerrone – also in under five minutes of fighting.
In total, Gaethje’s record now stands at 21-2, with 18 victories coming by way of strikes, leaving him ranked No.4 in the 155lb division.
Gaethje’s all-action style should lead to explosive action inside the Octagon as Ferguson is also a lethal finisher, who has found a way to end fights inside the distance in 20 of his 25 career victories.
Ferguson also holds the joint record for the longest UFC winning streak in UFC history, which currently stands at 12 fights, during which time he’s defeated the likes of Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Kevin Lee, Raphael dos Anjos and Edson Barboza.
Many had been skeptical that the UFC 249 event would go ahead, but Dana White now appears to be more confident than ever that it will take place.
