UFC 249 Rumors: Gaethje Makes Unusual Request, Fergusson Likely To Oblige

UFC 249 takes place this Saturday at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida after previously being called off due to the COVI-19 pandemic. All eyes will be on the main event where Tony Fergusson takes on Justin Gaethje for the interim UFC lightweight title.

Fergusson is the slight favorite over Gaethje and for good reason. The 36-year-old had more than enough time to prepare the fight compared to Gaethje who came in as a late replacement. According to Forbes, Fergusson is -170 while Gaethje is at +145 heading into UFC 249. Though Fergusson has been on a rampage it would be foolish to downplay the chances of the 31-year-old pulling off a stunner.

As mentioned in a previous post, Fergusson was originally set to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in the pay-per-view. But the coronavirus pandemic complicated plans with the Russian backing out due to travel restrictions on his end. There were claims that Nurmagomedov could have found a way to make it to UFC 249 which garnered its share of criticism for being held despite the rising number of cases related to COVID-19.

Even though he is an underdog, Gaethje has one odd request for Fergusson heading into the UFC fight. He mentioned how Fergusson may do him a big favor if he broke his nose, BT Sport reported. It turns out that this is an old injury and that he has had difficulty breathing through it. If Fergusson obliges, Gaethje can finally have it fixed.

From the way that Gaethje was talking, it appears he could care less of the odds stacked against him. He had a hard time preparing for the fight but that does not mean that Fergusson will have an easy fight ahead.

Fergusson has won 12 straight fights while Gaethje has three wins to show. The scary part for Fergusson is that Gaethje won his last three fights all in the first round. It will be interesting if the 31-year-old mixed martial artists can finish Fergusson off that quickly. This is where preparation will play an integral role.

Fergusson has not lost a fight for the past eight years. Injuries have stood in the way but the veteran has proven to be a tough nut to crack. He will also be out to send a statement to Nurmagomedov with a big win this weekend. Hence, expect some trash-talking happening after UFC 249.