Article by Mattan Yuger
We live in interesting times as the old saying, symbolically known as the ‘Chinese curse’, goes and this surreal reality has not skipped the MMA community. For months now we’ve been stuck in limbo, with no telling if fights are on, who’s fighting or where, but UFC remained adamant all along, and against all odds, that the show must go on. Whatever happens inside the cage on May 9th, the real story is the fight behind the scenes.
For Dana White, UFC’s almighty chief, this struggle has become personal as he utilized all his will power and sheer determination to overcome the biggest adversities the UFC (and the world) has ever faced. He went as far as recruiting the American spirit to make his point, “Since when do Americans run and hide in their friggin' houses instead of taking this thing head on and finding solutions?”. Many were quick to call it insane but his willingness to die on this hill made him the real hero of this tale.
Of course, the UFC is no civil freedom fighters and the financial incentive is great but for White, it's a matter of principle at this point. Whether you think his stubbornness is inspiring or just reckless and greedy negligence, his resilience and perseverance is on par with the organization’s ethos and the fighting man’s mentality. With such high stakes and so many things that can go wrong (especially with recent embarrassments and last minute cancellations), May 9th can either prove Dana White to be a genius or a delusional fool.
This is why we love the UFC.
Now, the UFC is the only game in town and with everyone stuck at home, starving for entertainment, it's the perfect time to take the front stage and give the world the show it's been waiting for. It's the chance to prove this young, lean, and mean operation can adjust, persevere, and find creative solutions where all major sports and leagues failed.
This is reminiscent of the early mad max days of the UFC, way before the big dollars and ESPN came along and back when it was still a wild, rebellious, no holds barred fighting circus. Times like this, when certainty is low but the risk is high, is exactly what the ‘Ultimate Fighting Championship’ was all about. Of course, Dana White couldn't save the show himself but when the boss is willing to put his reputation on the line, the soldiers align and step to the challenge.
Even in normal times, cage fighting with apex killers is a crazy game but in the midst of a medieval plague, with no proper training and the world in lockdown, it's just a trip - Guerrilla production, talks of secret locations, Indian reservations, private islands, no crowd and just heightened sounds of bones clashing as millions watch live, quarantined from home. With the UFC operating in military-level secrecy, speculations and imagination run wild when ‘Enter The Dragon’ meets the ‘Bloodsport’ scenarios set in a dystopian ‘Battle Royal’ reality show.
UFC249 Main Event - Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje
Tony, “El Cucuy” Ferguson is the Joker in the UFC pack, wild and unpredictable but undeniably one of the most exciting fighters in MMA today. The man is so eccentric, he inspired his own internet meme culture of - “Tony Ferguson is the type of guy…” with different, absurd and funny endings to the quote. He’s definitely the type of guy to give the UFC many headaches but at times like this, with so much to lose, he’s the type of guy to throw caution to the wind and say fuck it, let's fight. Creative, relentless and vicious, Ferguson thrives in the octagon cage as he puts a pace that few can hang with. Similar to his training methods, El Cucuy is unorthodox inside the cage, throwing crazy combinations, cutting his opponents up with elbows, fighting from the bottom and submitting fighters from all angles. With him and Khabib holding a staggering 12 UFC winning streak, this was the 5th attempt at the fight everyone is dying to see for years but is now officially cursed. In a crazy turn of events, after both Dubai and Russia closed their gates, Khabib was stuck in Dagestan and left the UFC desperate to save their main event. That's when Justin Gaethje, top contender and ultimate company man, stepped in as a last-minute replacement and saved the day. “In an inherently violent sport, he stands out... There’s a reckless abundance to him that is terrifying” are the words of legendary commentator, Joe Rogan, describing his fighting style and top of the chain knockout power. After speculations on a fight with Mcgregor never materialized, Gaethje was left the odd man out, so when Khabib pulled out, he had nothing to lose and jumped on the opportunity to change the narrative. Without a proper training camp, Gaethje will be even more likely to jump out guns blazing, whereas Fergsun will try to make it a long, bloody, messy fight where his endless endurance and variety of weapons will prevail. With such explosive fighters, one with nothing to lose and the other too crazy to care, the betting odds are split and this can easily turn out to be the fight of the year.