Breaking: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje looks increasingly likely as promotion closes in on location for UFC 249

We're relieved to announce that there is finally some good news for fight fans around the globe. There's finally something to look forward to amid the grim situation we've all been living in due to the unfortunate outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

ESPN journalist Ariel Helwani has reported that UFC officials are hoping to finalize the location for its April 18 show in the coming days. There's a new main event that is set to be announced soon between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. Although the location of the event remains a mystery, the promotion is apparently close to locking in on a place near the west coast of the United States.

Per Helwani, an offer has been made by the UFC to Ferguson for fighting Gaethje. But 'El Cucuy' told ESPN that he would only consider the offer if the UFC confirms a safe location to hold the event. Now that the location is all but confirmed, the chances of the fight going down looks very likely.

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Despite facing several obstacles along the way, UFC officials are hoping to finalize the location for its April 18 show in the coming days. According to multiple sources, the promotion feels it is very close to securing a new venue for UFC 249. It's unclear at this time where the location will be, however, sources said it's looking like it will take place on the west coast of the United States. The UFC has made a point to not share the specific location with many people outside the company at this time, sources say. The current plan, as previously reported, is for the event to be headlined by Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje, however, that fight isn't signed yet. The original main event between Ferguson and lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov fell through last week when Nurmagomedov returned home to Dagestan, Russia, from San Jose, California, which is where he trains. An offer has been on the table for Ferguson to fight Gaethje for over a week, but Ferguson told ESPN last week he would only consider the offer if the UFC found a location for the event.

A post shared by Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) on Apr 5, 2020 at 9:55pm PDT

The promotion's president Dana White had promised that no matter what, the show must go on. White had assured that UFC 249, which has been the most eagerly awaited pay-per-view of 2020, will not be re-scheduled like the other events that got postponed due to the ongoing pandemic. However, it hasn't been smooth sailing for the promotion.

Ferguson was originally scheduled to face the reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov but the latter was forced to pull out of the event due to a flight ban in his native country, Russia. This left the main event in jeopardy. Since then, the promotion has been trying to get a replacement for the undefeated Dagestani and Gaethje looks like the man set to replace him.