With the New York state ban of gatherings of more than 500 people, we are almost certainly not seeing a UFC 249 card headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Tony Ferguson in Brooklyn, but the UFC just has to save this fight.
New York State has just said it's illegal to have gatherings for more than 500 people. That sounds like it'll keep a lot of people safe, but it also sounds like it'll put Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Tony Ferguson in jeopardy.
And we need that fight. We gotta have that fight. Right now, people are not hugging each other. They're not spending time together. There's not that friendship and camaraderie as we're trying to stop the spread of a virus, right? So we need to be entertained and we need to be inspired. Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is an inspiring fight.
Also on rt.com UFC 249: Khabib v Ferguson on brink of being CANCELED as New York bans gatherings of more than 500 peopleIt's a fight that we need to see. It's a fight that millions of people will pay to see from their homes right now. We need to make this fight, UFC, Dana White. You have to make this fight, and you have to make it somewhere, anywhere.
You can have this fight in a bathroom. You can have this fight in a cage in the Apex center, you can have this fight in an empty arena in Brooklyn if you want to. But you have to have this fight. You just have to have this fight. We need this fight.
Imagine though, if you could allow 499 people in. So you can charge a lot of money.
Most of us can't afford it. That's a drag. We'll watch it on pay-per-view. But there's a lot of billionaires who will pay you a great deal of money to sit in a tiny little environment where they can watch this brilliant fight.
READ MORE: Will the coronavirus crisis KO the upcoming Khabib-Ferguson bout for a FIFTH time?
People have been trying to make this fight for years. These fighters want this fight. These fighters are both driven and passionate and inspiring fighters and bring people together. We have to see this.
If we watch it on pay-per-view in our homes from wherever it is, that's going to be just fine. Please make this.
When you think about it, there's a fascinating element as well. You know, you take away the audience, you take away the energy, you take away the passion, the tears and the booze. And all of that human element that's there in a big crowd. And that changes the dynamic of the fight.
Think about it for a moment. Khabib likes to fight sort of in serenity in general (other than the Conor McGregor fight). It's a serene flow that he gets into. Tony Ferguson is a ferocious animal and that crowd, and that passion and that intensity, may be part of the fight.
So we'll change the dynamic, it will be different. It'll be unique. It'll still be one of the greatest fights ever, but maybe just it's happening in this weird unique time in which we'll get to see something very rare and very different and very special?
So please, please make this fight. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, please make this fight. People need this fight right now. People need to be inspired. We all do. We just really need to see this. UFC, Dana White, whoever is involved in this now. Make this f*cking fight!
By Robin Black
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.