How to watch UFC 249 Ferguson vs Gaethje live in Ireland

Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was putting his undefeated record on the line against Ferguson, but the coronavirus pandemic and travel bans meant he was unable to confirm his place on the card.

Instead, Justin Gaethje has stepped in at short notice for a night of mixed martial arts that was originally slated for 18 April at an undisclosed location. Now it’s back at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville on a night there will be no fans in the stadium. It is the first of three UFC events being held over eight days at the same venue.

When is UFC 249 Ferguson vs Gaethje?

First set for 18 April, it is now scheduled to get underway on Saturday 9 May. The early prelims start at 11:30pm IST. Cowboy Cerrone headlines the prelims which start at 1am IST on Sunday 10 May. It’ll be Cerrone’s first fight since losing to Conor McGregor at UFC 246. The 5-fight main card then commences at 3am IST.

How to watch UFC 249 Ferguson vs Gaethje

In Ireland, the broadcast rights are split between UFC Fight Pass and BT Sport. The early prelims are on UFC Fight Pass, with both options showing the prelims. The main card is then live and exclusive to BT Sport. It is being shown on BT Sport 1. Subscribers can also stream it on the BT Sport Player or the BT Sport app. If you’re not a subscriber, you can get unlimited access to BT Sport for £25/month and there are no contracts.

Watch UFC 249 Ferguson vs Gaethje on UFC Fight Pass

The early prelims and prelims are on UFC Fight Pass. Subscriptions to UFC Fight Pass are €9.99/month or €89.99 for an annual pass. New subscribers can access a free 7-day trial.

It is available on a wide range of devices, including iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, ROKU, Xbox, LG and Samsung Smart TVs and SONY TVs with Android TV.

UFC 249 Ferguson vs Gaethje full card

Main card

• Interim Lightweight title fight: Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje
• Bantamweight title fight: Henry Cejudo vs Dominick Cruz
• Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik
• Featherweight: Jeremy Stephens vs Calvin Kattar
• Heavyweight: Greg Hardy vs Yorgan De Castro

Prelims

• Welterweight: Anthony Pettis vs Donald Cerrone
• Heavyweight: Aleksei Oleinik vs Fabricio Werdum
• Women’s strawweight: Carla Esparza vs Michelle Waterson
• Middleweight: Uriah Hall vs Ronaldo Souza

UFC 249 preview

The UFC’s much vaunted private island was a mooted venue for UFC 249, while it was first scheduled to take place in Brooklyn before the event was postponed.

Headlined by the interim Lightweight Championship fight between Ferguson and Gaethje, Bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo will also defend his belt against former champion Dominick Cruz.

Heavyweight standouts Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik will also face off, along with a clash of veteran contenders Anthony Pettis and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone on a packed card.

Women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas last month tragically withdrew from her co-main event with Jessica Andrade due to two coronavirus deaths in her family.

Who will win UFC 249 Ferguson vs Gaethje?

Even though Nurmagomedov isn’t involved, this is considered just about the second best option out there and has fight fans excited. These are two fighters with incredibly high work rates who move forward at just about all times.

Gaethje has a record of 21-2 and has won his last 3 fights in devastating fashion, all inside the first round. Ferguson’s record is 25-3 and he is on an extraordinary 12-fight winning run. You can see why everyone is so hopeful this fight goes ahead.

Ferguson is unsurprisingly the favourite considering his winning run. But this really could go either way. We’ll opt for Ferguson by split decision.

Image source: Main Event website