New York Commission Officially Confirms UFC 249 Cannot Take Place in Brooklyn

The New York State Athletic Commission has confirmed what many already suspected, as it announced that UFC 249 will not be held in its originally scheduled location.

The NYSAC released a statement to Sherdog.com regarding the April 18 event, which was slated for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The card is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

“Out of an abundance of caution and in line with recent guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control and New York State, the New York State Athletic Commission informed the UFC that UFC 249 cannot be held in NY,” the statement read.

Later on Wednesday, the promotion issued a statement regarding UFC 249:

UFC is planning to move forward with UFC 249 "Khabib vs. Ferguson" in April. The event will not take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn as previously announced. The decision was made in accordance with guidance issued by the New York State Athletic Commission, as well as in accordance with restrictions by New York State limiting large public gatherings. Additional details, including location and venue, will be announced when confirmed. Barclays Center ticket holders may seek a full refund at the point of purchase. Internet and phone orders will be automatically cancelled and refunded. UFC looks forward to returning to Brooklyn at the earliest opportunity.

The UFC recently canceled its three upcoming events — UFC Fight Night 171, UFC on ESPN 8 and UFC Fight Night 172 — after relocation efforts failed due to ongoing concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic. UFC president Dana White has been adamant that UFC 249 will proceed as scheduled, even in a different venue.

“This fight’s going to happen,” White said recently on SportsCenter. “No crowd. Whatever it takes. Probably not even going to be in the United States, but this fight’s going to happen.”

Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov is also expecting the long-awaited matchup with Ferguson to take place as planned.

“This is very important. Not just for me, for the UFC, for the fans – this is very important for the lightweight division,” he said recently on Instagram Live. “This is why I really want to fight with him (Ferguson). We have to fight, and I think the next couple days – yesterday I talked with Dana – Dana say they’re going to do everything that they can to keep this fight. We’ll see. Next couple days Dana is going to send us location.”

Note: This article was updated to include a statement from the UFC.