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Incredible showing by Gaethje in the biggest fight of his career!
All class. 👏#UFC249 pic.twitter.com/kvA6m1ziLF
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
JUSTIN GAETHJE WITH THE ULTIMATE HIGHLIGHT TONIGHT!
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
🏆 @Justin_Gaethje with a championship level performance in the biggest fight of his career! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/FyyXZYBVG0
Gaethje wins!
The referee stops the fight after being stunned by another stiff shot from Gaethje!
Justin Gaethje is now the UFC Interim Lightweight Champion!
Round 5: Ferguson vs Gaethje
Gaethje rocks Ferguson with a straight left hand!
Three minutes to go and Ferguson will need to look for a KO or a tap-out.
Round 4: Ferguson vs Gaethje
At the end of Round 4, Ferguson stays alive.
Despite hitting hard stiff shots time after time, Gaethje is unable to KO his rival.
The toughness of Ferguson is unreal.
Round 4: Ferguson vs Gaethje
Gaethje hits another big right hand and makes Ferguson retreat.
Both legs of Ferguson are now bleeding too.
Round 3: Ferguson vs Gaethje
Ferguson with large visible cuts near both eyes. He continues to endure a lot of punishment.
Gaethje has got to be asking himself what he needs to do put him away.
Round 3: Ferguson vs Gaethje
Ferguson just continues to take shot after shot!
Will he be able to get to the fifth round?
Round 2: Ferguson vs Gaethje
Gaethje takes a big right from Ferguson as the round ends!
Amazing how Ferguson can endure punishment and attack with such strength.
Round 2: Ferguson vs Gaethje
Ferguson enduring all that Gaethje throws at him.
Can he continue taking all these punches? He bleeds from the right side of the head and the nose.
Round 1: Ferguson vs Gaethje
Ferguson bleeds from the side of the head as the first round ends.
Very interesting fight in these first five minutes.
Round 1: Ferguson vs Gaethje
The fight is underway!
Ferguson and Gaethje both with an offensive fight plan.
Gaethje trying to catch the #1 Contender with a left hook, while Ferguson uses his footwork to get into a good position to strike.
Both men have entered the octagon and we're set for this long-awaited fight.
Maint Event Time
Ferguson and Gaethje go face to face to crown an interim UFC Lightweight Champion.
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“Since I was 11 years old I sacrificed to get where I am today, and I’m not going to let anyone take that away from me. I’m retiring from MMA. … Triple C is out. You don’t have to hear my ass no more.”
Wow!
Cejudo announces he's retiring tonight!
The TKO from Cejudo!
He's still got it! 👏
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Ring rust not a factor thus far for the returning @DominickCruz. #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/vTkDCCdXIY
Cejudo wins!
The champion retains!
A knee hurts Cruz and Cejudo finishes the job with a series of left hands.
Round 2: Cejudo vs Cruz
A head collision causes Cejudo's forehead to be cut.
The champion is checked by the doctor as the bleeding continues.
Round 2: Cejudo vs Cruz
Cejudo continues to work on the legs of Cruz.
The challenger increases his amount of punches thrown. He takes advantage of his larger range.
Round 1: Cejudo vs Cruz
Cejudo looks to be very comfortable despite Cruz's great mobility.
Round 1: Cejudo vs Cruz
Dominick Cruz begins moving quickly around the octagon, but Cejudo gets him with leg kicks trying to slow him down.
Round 1: Cejudo vs Cruz
Cruz has the size and reach advantage.
Both stats give him a 4-inch edge over the current champion.
The UFC Bantamweight and Olympic Gold Medalist makes it to the octagon and is ready for the fight!
Cruz makes his way to the octagon hoping to become a three-time champion in this weight division.
Up Next: Cejudo vs Cruz
The UFC Bantamweight title is on the line!
Totally stunning performance by Ngannou.
He wants the UFC Heavyweight Title!
DC knows. 😳@DC_MMA #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/wDm0qKUPog
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
One punch landed and it was over!
ARE YOU KIDDING?! 🤯🤯@Francis_Ngannou with his FOURTH consecutive first-round KO! WOW! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/1M6Fh0GQpi
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Round 1: Ngannou vs Rozenstruik
Ngannou wins in 18 seconds!
Tremendous knock out from the #2 ranked contender!
Round 1: Ngannou vs Rozenstruik
We're underway with the fight!
Don't blink as this might end early on!
Round 1: Ngannou vs Rozenstruik
Both men make their way to the octagon!
Two hard-hitters will clash and we can expect this to end in a KO.
We see a video package regarding George Saint Pierre's induction into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Up Next: Ngannou vs Rozenstruik
A heavyweight fight is up next here at UFC 249. It's Francis Ngannou vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik
A devastating elbow from Kattar!
CALVIN KATTAR GETS IT DONE! 😤@CalvinKattar closes the show in the second! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/cQtDkij5UI
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Winner: Calvin Kattar!
Kattar hits a huge right elbow and busts Stephens open! He finishes him off with two more shots.
The fight is over! KO win for Kattar!
Round 2: Stephens vs Kattar
Kattar with more movement during the start of Round 2.
Stephens and Kattar lock-up near the cage.
Round 1: Stephens vs Kattar
Stephens continues to pressure Kattar, but the man from Massachusetts hits him with a big right hand to end the round.
Round 1: Stephens vs Kattar
The fight begins with Stephens throwing some big kicks and punches.
Kattar taking some time to get started, but he's able to hit a couple of low kicks.
Round 1: Stephens vs Kattar
Both men make their way to the octagon for a hard-hitting fight!
Up next!
Jeremy Stephens vs Calvin Kattar go at it in just a few!
These two hit HARD! 😳@LilHeathenMMA vs @CalvinKattar keeps us going as the E+ PPV rolls on.
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Get the #UFC249 E+ PPV ➡️ https://t.co/mxpTg2z9I6 pic.twitter.com/sXpp6ejjml
By UD! ✅@GregHardyJr gets the job done! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/1ZUn6HMAHs
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Winner: Greg Hardy
The judges give the fight to the American fighter for his higher activity.
Unanimous decision.
Round 3: Hardy vs De Castro
The fight ends without any man able to impose their style.
We'll go to the judges to get a winner.
Round 3: Hardy vs De Castro
De Castro slips and falls to the mat, but Hardy is unable to engage.
The fight continues with both men on their feet, but very little activity.
Round 3: Hardy vs De Castro
The round begins with a big right hand from Hardy.
Both men target each other's front leg.
Round 2: Hardy vs De Castro
De Castro nows plays defense. Hardy takes control of the fight, not allowing the shorter man to attack.
Round 2: Hardy vs De Castro
De Castro goes back to work with the kicks to the left leg and is causing tons of trouble for his rival.
Hardy gets out of kicking range and tries to use his longer arms to inflict damage.
Round 1: Hardy vs De Castro
Hardy's left leg has been damaged by the kicks from De Castro.
The American fighter has made adjustments to his strategy to avoid more damage to that limb.
Round 1: Hardy vs De Castro
De Castro starts the fight by moving quickly and throwing fast right hands.
Hardy taller trying to keep De Castro out of range, but the shorter man is still able to get some strikes in.
Round 1: Hardy vs De Castro
Both fighters make their way to the octagon and we're all set to begin our main card.
Up next: Hardy vs De Castro
We'll begin tonight's Main Card with a heavyweight fight between Greg Hardy and Yorgan de Castro.
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Winner: Anthony Pettis
All judges see it 29-28 for Anthony Pettis!
🗣️ "I'll take it!"@ShowtimePettis with the UD to make it 2-0 in the series! #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/AuMWFH7Tbw
— UFC (@ufc) May 10, 2020
Round 3: Anthony Pettis vs Donald Cerrone
The fight ends with a great exchange of punches and kicks. Both men show significant damage to their faces.
We'll go the judges for the winner.
Round 3: Anthony Pettis vs Donald Cerrone
Cerrone argues a finger to the eye, but the referee doesn't call it.
Pettis goes for the kill, but Cerrone survives and connects Pettis with a kick to the side of the head.
Round 3: Anthony Pettis vs Donald Cerrone
Very evenly matched bout between these two men.
They will look for the knockout so they don't risk going to the decision.
Round 2: Anthony Pettis vs Donald Cerrone
Cerrone gets another takedown, but Pettis uses the cage to shield himself to avoid the submission.
The round ends with both men exchanging punches.
Round 2: Anthony Pettis vs Donald Cerrone
Pettis has a cut just below his right eye.
Both fighters with quick combos and nobody is being able to really establish control.
Round 1: Anthony Pettis vs Donald Cerrone
Good round from both fighters.
Petties managed to get a powerful right in. It seemed to have rocked 'Cowboy'
Round 1: Anthony Pettis vs Donald Cerrone
After a few minutes of both fighters exchanging blows, Cerrone gets the takedown.
He looks for the arm submission, but Pettis does well to defend and get back his feet.
Up Next
'Cowboy' Cerrone and Anthony Pettis go head-to-head!
Winner: Aleksei Oleinik
The fight goes to Aleksei Oleini by split decision!
The judges scored it at 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for the Russian!
Round 3: Aleksei Oleinik vs Fabricio Werdum
Werdum tries the take the fight back to the mat.
He goes for a Guillotine Choke, but time runs out before he can get a tap out.
We'll have the decision in a few minutes.
Round 3: Aleksei Oleinik vs Fabricio Werdum
Werdum goes for the takedown and has gained total control of the fight.
He goes for the armbar, but Oleinik manages to stay alive and gets back to his feet.
Round 2: Aleksei Oleinik vs Fabricio Werdum
Oleinik looks tired now after going all out in the first round.
Werdum has Oleinik bleeding now. He takes the fight to the mat looking for a Kimura and a Crossface Lock, but the man from Russia manages to defend himself.
The round ends with both fighters visibly exhausted.
Round 1: Aleksei Oleinik vs Fabricio Werdum
At the end of Round 1, Werdum shows wounds near both eyes.
The Russian fighter has been quite aggressive forcing Fabrizio to defend a lot.
Round 1: Aleksei Oleinik vs Fabricio Werdum
This heavyweight fight starts with Oleinik looking for powerful strikes with fists and knees to Werdum's face.
Werdum tries to counter with quick grapples and knee strikes to the face.
The first-ever Women's Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza got the victory by split decision in her fight against Michelle Waterson.
Niko Price paid the price.
At the start of tonight's preliminary card, Niko Price had the fight stopped for him after significant cuts in his face.
The victory went to the Brazilian Vicente Luque in this welterweight contest.
Bryce Mitchell also had his hand raised
In a featherweight bout earlier today, Ryan Mitchell defeated Charles Rosa to put his UFC record at 4-0.
Spann is on a roll
Ryan Spann achieved his fourth consecutive victory in the Light Heavyweight category.
He beat Sam Alvey earlier today by split decision.
LIVE Coverage Begins
We're LIVE with all the action that emanates from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Don't go anywhere! We're about an hour away from the start of the main card.
Update: "Jacare" Souza is out!
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, who was scheduled to fight Uriah Hall at UFC 249 tonight, has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The 40-year-old has been pulled from the event following the news.
Don't go anywhere!
Do not miss a detail of the match with the with VAVEL. Follow along with us all the details, commentaries, analysis and results for this UFC 249.
The preliminary card will see the fight between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabrício Werdum and Aleksei Oleinik.
Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik will also square off in a heavyweight bout which was originally scheduled for March 28, but was cancelled due to the ongoing health situation.
Tonight's main event
The UFC announced on April 6 that Nurmagomedov would be replaced by Justin Gaethje, with an interim title to be disputed between him and Tony Ferguson.
How to watch UFC 249 Live TV and Stream
If you want to watch the fight on TV, your options are ESPN+ pay-per-view.
If you want to follow it on the internet, VAVEL USA is your best option!
Originally, Khabib Nurmagomedov was expected to make a defense of his UFC Lightweight Championship at this event but had to pull out due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result, Henry Cejudo will now face Dominick Cruz for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.
A UFC Bantamweight Championship fight between the current champion Henry Cejudo and former WEC and two-time UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo was expected to serve as that event's headliner. However, Aldo withdrew on April 8 due to visa issues when the first reports of the event's move to the USA surfaced.
Following the examples of World Wrestling Entertainment and All Elite Wrestling, UFC sought to host their next live event in the state of Florida.
Florida venues are permitted to host events behind closed doors as a result of Executive Order 20-91 signed April 9 by governor Ron DeSantis which grants athletes and staff the status of "essential workers".
Tonight's card was planned to take place on April 18th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually moved to May 9 in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Vystar Veterans Memorial arena will host tonight's event with no crowd.
Welcome to VAVEL
Welcome to VAVEL.com’s coverage of UFC 249: Ferguson vs Gaethje!
My name is Juan Pablo Rodríguez and I’ll be your host for this game. We will provide you with card analysis, updates, and news as it happens here on VAVEL.