UFC 249 and Other May Events Will Be Big for Books

UFC President Dana White has confirmed UFC 249 will take place in Florida May 9 and the books are offering plenty of bets on this and subsequent fights upcoming over a short span during the month of May.  All will take place without spectators.

Jacksonville will take center stage with UFC 249 taking place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

The main event here will be top-ranked lightweight contender Tony Ferguson taking on Justin Gaethje.  While not the megafight initially planned for UFC 249 that would have featured Khabib Nurmagomedov in place of Gaethje, the current bout is more evenly matched.  Ferguson comes in at -160, Gaethje at +140.

Bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo defending his belt against former champion Dominick Cruz.  Cejudo was listed as the -240 favorite and Cruz at +205.

There are also plans to hold shows on May 13 and May 16 at the same arena.

“I can’t wait to deliver some great fights for the fans,” White said in a statement. “My team is ready to go and the fighters are excited to get back in there with these back-to-back events.”

There has been no UFC since a full fight card in an empty arena in Brazil on 14 March.  The coronavirus pandemic has shut down most sports globally.

"Health and safety protocols will be in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all individuals who are helping to make these events possible," said Florida state boxing commission executive director, Patrick Cunningham.

BetOnline as of this writing did not feature odds on a May 13 fight.  For May 16, billed as UFC on ESPN 33, Daniel Hooker is listed as a +135 underdog versus Dustin Poirier.  

- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com