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Khabib vs Ferguson at UFC 249 has venue MOVED and behind closed doors as White jokes pair will be old before they fight
UFC president Dana White confirmed he has found a location to stage the anticipated title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Major sporting events around the globe have been cancelled or backdated as the deadly COVID-19 bug continues to sweep the globe with the UFC backdating their next three Fight Night events.
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But still promoter White refused to axe UFC 249 - set for April 18 in New York - headlined by unbeaten champion Nurmagomedov and No1 ranked challenger Ferguson.
The fighters have seen fights between them fall through FOUR times in the past.
After President Donald Trump banned all but essential travel to and from the US with gatherings of more than ten people also facing restrictions, the event looks destined to take place outside America.
And according to UFC boss White, he has found a venue to stage the show behind closed doors, as he joked online that the pair would be old by the time they finally fight inside the octagon.
He said on Instagram: “I do (know where it is), but I’m not ready to tell you yet.
"I know lots of things. There’s not going to be any fans there. It’s going to be a closed event.”
The UFC were forced to stage their event in Brazil behind closed doors earlier this month, but reported fighters were not being tested for COVID-19.
But White - who blasted the "wimpiest" critics who have called for UFC 249 to be axed amid the coronavirus outbreak - insisted he is taking full safety measures to protect his fighters and staff, which he stresses is nothing new for him.
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He said: “Everybody who is going to be involved in this thing is going to be because they want to be, not because they have to be or they have to do anything.
“Believe me - we didn’t just start thinking about safety when the coronavirus popped up. Health and safety, these are things that normal businesses that are out there right now don’t necessarily have to think about on a daily basis.
"Health and safety is something we’ve been doing long before the coronavirus and we’ll be doing it long after the coronavirus is gone. This is just normal s*** for us.”
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