Report | Tony Ferguson offered Justin Gaethje for UFC 249

UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson has reportedly been offered a fight against Justin Gaethje if Khabib Nurmagomedov cannot fight at UFC 249.

Nurmagomedov said on Monday that he is stuck in Russia and, at this point, is not confident he will be able to leave his home country to fight at UFC 249, which is scheduled to take place April 18 at a location to-be-determined. With Nurmagomedov seemingly out of action, it leaves his opponent Ferguson without a dance partner. But perhaps not for much longer.

According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Ferguson has been offered a fight against Justin Gaethje to headline UFC 249. It’s unclear if the fight would be for an interim lightweight title. According to Helwani, the fighters have no agreed to the matchup yet and there is no location for the card at this point.

As a result, Tony Ferguson, per sources, has been offered a fight against top contender Justin Gaethje, however, that fight has not been agreed upon nor finalized. Neither has a location for the event.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 30, 2020

As a result, Tony Ferguson, per sources, has been offered a fight against top contender Justin Gaethje, however, that fight has not been agreed upon nor finalized. Neither has a location for the event.

The prospect of losing Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov yet again is depressing to MMA fans, who were hoping this bout would give them something to look forward to during the coronavirus pandemic that has most people stuck at home. But alas, it doesn’t look like it was meant to be, despite UFC president Dana White being adamant the show would go on.

If Ferguson does end up facing Gaethje, though, it would definitely be a solid replacement bout. Both Ferguson and Gaethje are two of the most exciting lightweights in the sport and this would have likely been a matchup we’d see in the future anyway. Both men always put on a show and it should be an amazing fight if it happens. But at this point, the future of the UFC 249 card is very much up in the air.

Who would win a fight between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje?