Just over a fortnight since UFC President Dana White was forced to scrap his plans for UFC 249 in California, incredibly what’s set to be one of the world’s most anticipated sports events this year is going ahead in Florida at the weekend.
Tony Ferguson (25-3) and Justin Gaethje (21-2) will collide in the main match-up at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.
This clash of lightweight legends has grabbed worldwide interest – and we’ve got all the inside betting tips you need right here on freebets.com.
In fact, sports-hungry fans can bet on all 12 fights featured on the UFC 249 card, including Henry Cejudo vs Dominick Cruz in a superb bantamweight title bout and the featherweight fight between Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Katta.
Recommended Bets:
- Get 15/8 on Justin Gaethje to win by knockout cta_button_2
- Get 6/1 on Tony Ferguson to win by decision cta_button_2
- Get 8/5 on Henry Cejudo to win by decision cta_button_2
Ambitious Plans
There have been limited sporting events taking place around the globe since the worrying outbreak of COVID19 and subsequent lockdown enforced worldwide.
But Coronavirus hasn’t stopped White from following through with his ambitious plans to continue octagon fights on American soil.
And this is just the start – two more UFC events coming up next week, on May 13 and May 16 at the same venue.
Intriguing Battle
A host of great match-ups will take place across this thrilling returning event for MMA’s major organisation, but it’s a fascinating lightweight battle that headlines proceedings.
With Ferguson’s long-awaited showdown with Khabib Nurmagomedov being scuppered for a fourth time and the reigning champion being unable to travel due to current restrictions, it’s hard-hitting contender Gaethje that steps in to replace the Russian.
He is a 13/8 outsider with bet365 to cause somewhat of an upset after three straight victories in his recent career. But Ferguson will take to the octagon as the odds-on 4/7 favourite with BetVictor to prevail and potentially set the course for Khabib once again.
Daring Ferguson puts it all on the line in potential war with Gaethje
It may be a great card from top to bottom for fight fans to enjoy during a time when there is little to no sport taking place but the action will go ahead behind closed doors.
No crowd will be in attendance at the Florida venue, with the same set-up set to follow for the other upcoming UFC fight nights on May 13th and 16th.
White had initially outlined strange intentions of staging fights at a remote island but he was able to secure an American location for this imminent card instead.
“I can’t wait to deliver some great fights for the fans,” he stated. “My team is ready to go and the fighters are excited to get back in there with these back-to-back events.”
Having been busy preparing for his long-standing rival Nurmagomedov (again), Ferguson has had to switch his attentions to stand-in foe Gaethje for a fascinating main event encounter.
Being on the longest-winning streak in lightweight history (12), Ferguson is bravely or stupidly putting everything on the line here against a dangerous threat.
As one of the most durable and fittest fighters there is ‘El Cucuy’ will climb into the cage at 6/1 with Betfair to secure a decision success here.
But in a shootout, anything could happen, and his decision to make weight before the last cancelled bout may have seen like a ‘boss move’ but it made little sense and wasn’t exactly a healthy option.
Could that come back to hurt him? Gaethje has done well to bounce back from back-to-back knockout defeats to Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier with three successive wins since and he is a promising 15/8 with Paddy Power to earn a fourth straight KO triumph here.
After battling the pandemic restrictions and authorities, Dana White has managed to pull together one of the deepest cards in UFC history and its headline act could steal the show with fireworks expected when Ferguson and Gaethje collide.
Further down the card, Henry Cejudo is 11/4 with Ladbrokes to knock out Dominick Cruz in a fascinating bantamweight championship clash. Hard-hitting Francis Ngannou is 15/8 with BetVictor to stop Jairzinho Rozenstruik in round one of their heavyweight meeting.
Meanwhile, the always exciting Jeremy Stephens is 41/20 with Unibet to overcome Calvin Kattar and Greg Hardy can be backed at 5/4 with bet365 to end Yorgan de Castro’s night early.
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Full UFC 249 card
Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje
Henry Cejudo vs Dominick Cruz
Francis Ngannou vs Jairzinho Rozentruik
Jeremy Stephens vs Calvin Kattar
Greg Hardy vs Yorgan de Castro
Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone vs Anthony Pettis
Alexey Oleynik vs Fabricio Werdum
Carla Esparza vs Michelle Waterson
Uriah Hall vs Ronaldo Souza
Vicente Luque vs Niko Price
Bryce Mitchell vs Charles Rosa
Ryan Spann vs Sam Alvey
Want to bet on combat sports but don’t know who to back? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Freebets.com provides a wide range of betting tips on everything from UFC to boxing. Our experts will help you pick the likeliest outcome along with the most rewarding odds.
