The struggles of upcoming UFC pay-per-views continue.
UFC 249 was originally set to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York with Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov for the Lightweight title headlining, and Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas co-main eventing; however, the show was scrapped from the venue due to the New York State Athletic Commission.
Since then, the April 18th pay-per-view has been falling apart with the Lightweight Champion confirming that he won’t be able to fight on the show due to a lockdown in Russia. However, despite the lack of a main event and confirmed location, the pay-per-view is still set for next Saturday.
The same troubles appear to be on the horizon of UFC 250 from the Ibirapueroa Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 9, as the government of Brazil restricted gatherings due to the coronavirus, so the event could end being moved to a different venue.
The show will be headlined with a UFC Featherweight Championship fight between Henry Cejudo and Jose Aldo, and according to Raphael Marinho of Combate, officials have told the champ and former Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio Rua – who’s advertised to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – that they should be ready to travel outside of Brazil.
UFC Featherweight Champion Amanda Nunes will defend her title against Felicia Spencer in the co-main event as well; however, there’s no word on whether the two women have been contacted about the potential change in location.