The circumstances leading up to the main event of UFC 249 has certainly been interesting.
Unfortunately, for the fifth time, fans were robbed of a potential fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov, and while the winner of the UFC Interim Lightweight Championship match at UFC 249 will get a chance at the Lightweight title later on this year, Justin Gaethje plans to disappoint fans who were hoping to see Ferguson and Nurmagomedov.
Since his back-to-back losses against Eddie Alvarez (UFC 218) and Dustin Poirier (UFC on FOX 29), Gaethje has been kicking ass within the 155-pound division, beating James Vick (UFC Fight Night 135), Edson Barboza (UFC on ESPN 2), and Donald Cerrone (UFC Fight Night 158). Gaethje is no stranger to being a champion as the 31-year-old is a former World of Series Fighting Lightweight Champion.
However, in order for Gaethje to get a chance at the UFC Lightweight title, he must defeat Tony Ferguson. Other than Khabib, Ferguson is the most accomplished fighter within the lightweight division; The 36-year-old hasn’t lost a bout since 2012, besting names such as Gleison Tibau (UFC 184), Rafael dos Anjos (UFC Fight Night 98), and Edson Barboza (The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale) before winning the Interim Lightweight belt at UFC 216.
This will surely be an exciting fight when it goes down on May 9, but in the meantime, check out how both lightweights are training for the bout at UFC 249: