After being delayed back in April due to the coronavirus, UFC 249 is back on and we have all the details on how you can watch the highly anticipated event online or on TV in the U.S., Canada, UK and Australia.
UFC 249 was originally scheduled to take place in Brooklyn, New York but the UFC had to relocate the event to the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. However, while the event is back on, there won't be any fans in attendance for Saturday's fights for safety reasons.
The venue may have changed and fans won't be crowded around the octagon but many of the fights originally scheduled for UFC 249 will be included on the new card. The biggest change though is that Tony Ferguson will now be taking on Justin Gaethje in the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship as Khabib Nurmagomedov is unable to leave his home country of Russia due to its coronavirus travel restrictions.
UFC 249 Ferguson vs Gaethje Start time schedule
UFC 249 is Saturday, May 9. Things get underway with the early prelims at around 6pm ET/3pm PT, which is 11pm BST in the UK. Ferguson vs Gaethje is provisionally slated for 10pm ET/7pm PT/3am BST. American readers wanting to cut to the chase need only know that ESPN+ will be the place to watch the fight.Enter Justin Gaethje, a 31-year-old American who currently sits at fourth in the UFC lightweight rankings. While not necessarily the blockbuster opponent Khabib represent, he's well-respected in MMA circles and poses a significant threat to Ferguson in a fight that will be shown exclusively via ESPN+ in the US.
The winner of the new UFC 249 headline fight will be crowned the interim UFC lightweight champion - and no doubt fight Khabib at a later date. Tempted? Our guide explains how to watch UFC 249 and live stream Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje from anywhere in the world - as well as telling you all about tonight's card and the Ferguson vs Gaethje time.
