UFC 249 could be ‘totally new card’ with mix of old and new matchups, per Dana White

According to UFC President Dana White, the UFC 249 card we end up with could be very different than the one we initially expected.

On Wednesday, White appeared on an Instagram Live session with ESPN/UFC reporter Brett Okamoto. White divulged that the UFC 249 card will likely include several matchups originally scheduled for the card — including the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson main event — in addition to a number of other matchups that were scheduled for the events that were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. One of those matchups is likely to be a rescheduled heavyweight fight between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, which was originally expected to headline the UFC Columbus card.

BT Sport’s Chamatkar Sandhu has the details:

Dana White just told @bokamotoESPN on his IG live stream that #UFC249 will most likely be a totally new card with a mixture of existing fights and fights moved to it. One of those added to it could be Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik. That’s what they’re working on.

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) March 25, 2020

“Dana White just told @bokamotoESPN on his IG live stream that UFC 249 will most likely be a totally new card with a mixture of existing fights and fights moved to it. One of those added to it could be Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik. That’s what they’re working on.”

UFC 249 has been the topic of much discussion as late, as the coronavirus pandemic has caused a near-total shutdown of the sports industry, but White has been adamant that the card will go ahead on the planned April 18 date.

While White has been immovable that UFC 249 will go down on April 18, the card will not go down in Brooklyn, New York as originally planned. The new location of the card is still a mystery, but Florida is currently believed to be the frontrunner to host the event. Wherever the event occurs, it will go down in a facility devoid of fans.

Stay tuned for news on the updated UFC 249 card as details emerge.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/25/2020.