Let's Assume Khabib vs Tony Ferguson Will Be Canceled Due to Coronavirus and Start Getting Over it Now
By Evan Wolff
One of the most difficult things as sports fans to grasp? When it's over. Our team gets knocked out of contention. Our favorite player gets injured or retires. A big rivalry game gets delayed due to the weather. It's something we've all dealt with. But when it comes to the long-delayed UFC lightweight clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, the fight gods are absolutely toying with us.
A mixed martial arts bout between two healthy human beings is small potatoes compared to the scale of cancelations and general global fears brought about by the coronavirus crisis. Events are being postponed or abandoned weeks in advance for good reason. But it's inevitable that fight fans have begun to doubt whether the Khabib-Tony Ferguson showdown -- finally scheduled for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 18th at UFC 249 after so many delays -- might have to be postponed yet again.
At this rate, simply to protect ourselves, we ought to start assuming that the fight isn't happening.
Breaking News: New York State is banning most gatherings of more than 500 people, including Broadway shows, to curb the spread of the coronavirushttps://t.co/yXYNeGDcZm
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 12, 2020
In one respect, such an idea is agonizing. But public health and safety must be placed above all other considerations, period.
A ban on gatherings of over 500 people, as declared by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, certainly precludes any UFC event taking place in normal conditions. Even without fans, that limit on capacity might still be exceeded by the fighters, their teams, the production crews, TV presenters... you get the idea.
Sure, Khabib vs. Tony might not get altogether canceled. It could be delayed, or even relocated elsewhere. But we've watched this fight fall through multiple times already, including two years ago, also in Brooklyn, as fate would have it, due to a Ferguson knee injury. At a certain point, the matchup itself starts to feel like it's cursed.
BREAKING: Per sources, UFC Fight Night in Portland, scheduled for April 11, is expected to be moved to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas as a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 12, 2020
A relocation, perhaps to Las Vegas, could be a workable method for making sure UFC 249 can still happen. But here and now, there very much remains a risk that this fight will once again be a disappointing "what if?" for fight fans.
Again.