A look back at UFC 249 as Gaethje wins main event
The coronavirus has meant that sport has ground to a halt around the world. Both the European championships and Olympic games have been postponed until next year and the wait went on for when some sporting action would return to our screens. This led to sport fans moving online for their entertainment, with many platforms seeing record numbers and this includes online casinos. It led to a surge of players using a fruity king promo code and many others, with the industry flourishing from the current situation. But the wait still continued for sport.
The UFC did not disappoint and were at the forefront of a return, which was backed by US President Donald Trump. He praised both Dane White and the UFC for returning and encouraged other sports to look to do the same, as he prepares for economies to re-open.
UFC 249 was the show to return and took place in VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, United States. It turned out to be a major success, in what was a stacked card, with huge anticipation for a number of the bouts. Dana White has recently claimed that the event was a major success, and the number of buys has been staggering, as the figures start to come through. He stated that UFC 249 has double the number of buys in overseas countries from previous events, such as UFC 244, 245, 247 and 248. That gives a further example of how much sports fans are looking for a return of sport world-wide.
There were many performances to note, with Anthony Pettis beating legend Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision on the undercard. This was a much closer fight than the previous time the pair met, when Pettis won via a first round knockout back in 2013. The victory meant Pettis extended his record to 23-10, with Cerrone dropping to 36-15 with 1 NC. Both are legends of the sport and it proved to be a hugely popular bout amongst fans.
Moving to the main card, and Francis Ngannou provided the quickest finish of the night with a 20 second KO of the previously undefeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik. It was a devastating stoppage, which meant the No.2 ranked Ngannou moved to 15-3, with Rozenstruik dropping to 10-1. Could a title shot be next for Ngannou?
One of the big stories on the night was the retirement of Henry Cejudo. He stopped former champion Dominick Cruz on the night, with a second round TKO. That meant he again defended his bantamweight belt, whilst also holding and defending his flyweight title. He now retires at the age of 33, and is a Olympic Gold medallist, so must go down as one of the greatest ever in the history of the UFC.
“Ultimately I want to leave on top and I think that’s every fighter’s dream but nobody does it.” – @HenryCejudo talks about his retirement, his #UFC249 victory over Dominick Cruz and thanks @UFC fans and staff 🔊⬆️
Results: https://t.co/uNyG5io0Sr pic.twitter.com/7JyRgF5CG4
— UFC News (@UFCNews) May 10, 2020
The main event saw Tony Ferguson take on Justin Gaethje, which was expected to be a hugely exciting match-up. This turned out to be the case, with Gaethje causing the upset with a fifth round TKO stoppage. It was a hugely impressive performance and is now likely to set him up for a clash with champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
