UFC 249 in retrospect – A breakdown of the best moments of UFC 249

BY MARCEL MARIAK

Well, it finally happened! After weeks of confirming, cancelling, postponing, and rescheduling the event, fight fans were ultimately blessed with the UFC’s first event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on May 9th. Before the pandemic wreaked global havoc, the UFC 249 event was anticipated to have some of the highest fan attendance of any UFC showdown. Instead, the event set a record for the lowest fan attendance in UFC history: with a grand total of 0 fans attending the event. Due to the Coronavirus lockdown, only essential personnel such as coaches, fighters, doctors, and commentators were permitted to attend the proceedings which were held at a secret location. The event experience for both the fighters and viewers was unusual to say the least; as the roaring crowd was replaced with an eerie silence, and every impact could be heard clearly. Despite the odd nature of the showcase, UFC 249 was packed with moments and showdowns which will become fan favourites for years to come.

Justin Gaethje’s major upset against Tony Ferguson
Originally, the main event of UFC 249 was the long-awaited showdown between Lightweight Champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the Interim Lightweight Champion, Tony Ferguson. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus had other plans, and when the Russian government shut down its borders, Khabib got stuck in his home country, thousands of miles away from his opponent. As a result, Khabib was replaced by popular American fighter, Justin Gaethje.

Upon hearing about the new matchup, most fans hoped that Ferguson would defeat Gaethje and finally have a shot at challenging Khabib for the championship belt. Very few believed that Justin Gaethje would have a chance of defeating Ferguson, who is not only notoriously difficult to knock out, but also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Eddie Bravo.

For the first few rounds of the bout, Gaethje attacked Ferguson with unbelievably powerful and wild attacks which oftentimes connected, but Ferguson’s chin weathered the storm and he continued to put the pressure back on Gaethje. It was only when Gaethje’s coach told him to exchange his power for accuracy, that the fighter began making some headway in the fight. With an increasing number of his punches connecting, Gaethje was able to wobble Ferguson multiple times during the fifth round and the referee chose to stop the fight when Ferguson got backed up against the cage and failed to defend himself from Gaethje’s attacks.

While Justin Gaethje put on a legendary and satisfying performance against his opponent, the defeat of Tony Ferguson means that he not only lost his interim champion belt, but also the opportunity to fight the champion, Khabib. After years of anticipation and cancellations, the dreams of fight fans to see a Khabib vs Ferguson showdown are as good as gone.

Dominick Cruz pouts after losing to Henry Cejudo
Out of all sports officials and arbiters, MMA referees have the most responsibility on their shoulders. Not only are they tasked with ensuring that a fight goes smoothly, and rules are followed, but their split-second decision making can oftentimes spell the difference between a fighter getting a few bumps and bruises, or a severe, career ending injury. During the Cejudo v. Cruz fight, referee, Keith Peterson was tasked with making such a decision when Dominick Cruz was getting ground-and-pounded by Cejudo. After Cruz absorbed a dozen unanswered strikes to the head, the referee intervened and stopped the bout with only a few seconds left in the second round.

Dominick Cruz was not impressed with the referee’s decision, believing that the fight was stopped too early. He claimed that he wasn’t knocked out, but instead, “finding his feet”. Unfortunately, the MMA community at large disagree with Cruz’s complaint (because blocking shots with one’s face is not considered an acceptable defensive strategy). After realizing that his argument was flawed, Cruz changed strategies, and instead accused Peterson of smelling like alcohol and cigarettes and being under the influence of mind-altering substances. Once again, Cruz’s argument was disproved when famed MMA referee, and Peterson’s colleague, Herb Dean stepped up and stated that, “I didn’t smell anything in his [Keith’s] breath. He was around us all day and if any of us officials suspect that someone’s been drinking, we will definitely speak up and not let that person referee a fight”.

At the end of the day, only Cruz will know if he was knocked out, or actually attempting to fight back. Unfortunately, cameras don’t lie; and the fact of the matter is that Dominick Cruz ate a dozen consecutive unanswered shots before the fight was called off: not an early stoppage by any stretch of the imagination. Sorry Dominick, better luck next time.