Every UFC fight has a storyline to it. The general public might not always be deeply invested, but whether it’s for a championship or marks a debut, each fight represents a pivotal moment for the athletes.
With every trip to the octagon comes a narrative. What does a win mean in the short term? The long term? What fights are on the horizon with an impressive performance? What new skills or weaknesses will be revealed?
The potential storylines are endless, and we’re here to help identify the most significant one for each fight, this time at UFC 249, which takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Today, we look at the main card on ESPN+.
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The title fights
Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje
Credit to Ferguson and Gaethje for staying committed and making the interim lightweight title fight happen. On paper, this fight can’t fail in terms of what these guys bring to the table. The winner is likely going to have to go through hell to get their hand raised, but there will be a level of disappointment if that winner isn’t Ferguson.
Everyone wants to see Ferguson finally fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed 155-pound belt after five failed bookings. This headliner is a serious threat to the preservation of that matchup, and Gaethje can absolutely run that fight off the rails, possibly forever.
It has taken a 12-fight winning streak over eight years for Ferguson to get to this point, and at 36, there’s no guarantee he gets back with a loss. Ferguson deserves tremendous praise for not bowing out when Nurmagomedov was unavailable for UFC 249, but that decision could be something he regrets for the rest of his life. The stakes are incredibly high for “El Cucuy,” and winning has never been more important than it is now.
Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz
As fascinating as it will be to see if Cejudo can back up 11 months worth of trash talk since winning the bantamweight title, the spotlight going into the co-main event matchup is rightfully on Cruz and his opportunity to do something truly unprecedented.
After Jose Aldo was deemed unavailable due to coronavirus travel restrictions, Cruz got the title shot against Cejudo despite being sidelined by injury since December 2016. We’re past debating the merits of this situation, because it’s happening, and it’s now time to focus on whether Cruz can win, and what it would mean if he does.
Cruz has already come back from a multi-year layoff once before to win back the UFC’s 135-pound belt. That’s history at this point, though, because he’s now older, more physically run down and is fighting an opponent in Cejudo who, despite his character, is no joke whatsoever.
The fact Cruz will even be stepping in the octagon at all on Saturday is remarkable. If he can leave the cage with a belt around his waist, the conversation about where “The Dominator” fits into MMA’s web of all-time greats becomes a curious debate.
Rest of main card
Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
It’s time to find out how good Rozenstruik really is, and if he’s going to be able to shake the tree at all when it comes to the very top heavyweight contenders.
Rozenstruik was four seconds from taking a decision loss to Alistair Overeem in December, but he escaped with victory by scoring a buzzer-beater finish. On paper it’s a quality win, but in practice it generated some doubts about how he’d fair against the next level.
Ngannou will provide clarity. “The Predator” is a proven commodity and is the division’s top title contender behind Daniel Cormier. Ngannou is the betting favorite and expected to win then go fight for the title, so Rozenstruik has a great chance to play spoiler and prove the Overeem win was no fluke.
Jeremy Stephens vs. Calvin Kattar
After 33 UFC fights it’s pretty well established what Stephens is at this point. Therefor, Kattar takes the greater chunk of attention going into this featherweight matchup because of his perceived higher ceiling.
Kattar is coming off a main event loss to Zabit Magomedsharipov in a contest many believe he could’ve won if he had the standard five rounds to work with for a headliner, or pushed a little bit harder during the 15-minute window he had. He said he learned from that experience, and now he’ll have to put that knowledge to practice.
Stephens is a hard-hitting, durable and well conditioned fighter. He may have the most losses in UFC history at 16, but one look at his resume shows he doesn’t lose to slouches. Kattar putting him name on the list of fighters to get one over on “Lil Heathen” would be nothing to sneeze at.
Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro
Whether we like it or not, Hardy is here to stay and is going to keep getting prominent card position until every bit of his usefulness runs dry. How long will that be? This fight against De Castro will play a telling role in what the future holds for the controversial former NFL standout.
Hardy rolled the dice on himself with a short-notice fight against Alexander Volkov in November. He didn’t get blown out in the manner many had anticipated, and that should serve as a major motivator for Hardy to evolve his fighting skills. Six months later, we’ll find out how far he’s come.
