UFC 249 as It Happened: Justin Gaethje Won the Interim Lightweight Title

• The fights were held behind closed doors with no fans in attendance
• Justin Gaethje outclassed Tony Ferguson in the Main Event
• Francis Ngannou destroyed Jairzinho Rosenstruik with a 19-second KO
• Henry Cejudo defended his title with a second-round TKO of Dominick Cruz
• Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 Pandemic

UFC 249 delivered a spectacle that reminded fans around the world of how much the sporting calendar has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The buildup to UFC 249 was marred with controversy from fighter pullouts, loss of venues to host, lack of support from broadcasters and even a fighter testing positive of the coronavirus. However, when the night ended, the world saw why Dana White was adamant and resilient in having the fight-night.

All the 11 fights unfolded in an arena free of spectators, with few people beyond fighters, their corners, U.F.C. and commission employees, broadcast crews and some journalists inside the building amid the ongoing pandemic.

First Bout of the Night : Ryan Spann vs Sam Alvey

Ryan Spann finished the fight wobbly. Veteran light-heavyweight Sam Alvey hit him hard several times in the final round of the opening bout of U.F.C. 249, catching Spann with a short right hook, and later landing a flurry of blows before the final horn.

Spann used well-timed front kicks and right hands to control the first two rounds and improved his overall pro record to 18-5. Saturday’s loss was Alvey’s fourth straight defeat.

Bryce Mitchell vs Charles Rosa

Submission specialist Mitchell dominated the clash as he grappled Rosa in the three rounds. The 25-year old mauled and dragged Rosa to the canvas and ran him through a series of chokes and cranks.

Mitchell won through unanimous decision scoring top in all the judges’ cards. The win took his record to 13-0.

Vicente Luque vs Niko Price

Niko Price looked ready to go the distance in the fight exchanging punches and kicks with Vicente.

In round three, the referee called for a timeout when Vicente landed a perfectly timed left-hook that sent Price to the canvas. A check by the fight doctor called the fight to a halt as Price had a swelling eye with two deep cuts near it.

Carla Esparza vs Michelle Waterson

The two fighters spent two and a half rounds exchanging punches and kicks in a tense, tactical and tightly contested fight. In the final 30 seconds, both fighters dropped caution and took to battle.

Waterson hit Esparza with a left roundhouse kick which Esparza took and quickly clutched Waterson’s leg and attempted a submission which Waterson quickly escaped and landed a quick left-right combination.

The Judges’ decision was split with one scoring a win for Waterson while another scoring a win for Esparza. Third judge scored a win for Esparza.

Francis Ngannou vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik 

Rozenstruik defeated veteran Alistair Overeem in November last year. Soon after the fight, he would call out the next fighter in line – Cameroonian Ngannou. Many assumed that the Surinamese heavyweight would capitalize on his kickboxing skills to neutralize the Ngannou’s immense power.

Well, the fight took less than half a minute – 19 seconds. Ngannou knocked Rozenstruik out with a thunderous punch.

Henry Cejudo vs Dominick Cruz

Cejudo was defending his UFC Bantamweight title against Cruz who had not been involved in a fight since 2016.

Cejudo showed glimpses of rustiness having not fought in 11 months, but all this was settled in the second round when he hit Cruz with a knee to the face and rained punches on him until the referee stopped the bout.

Immediately afterward, a grinning Cejudo, wearing his UFC title belt and gold medal from the 2008 Summer Olympics, announced his retirement from professional fighting.

Main Event : Ferguson vs Gaethje

Coming to the fight as an underdog and a replacement to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gaethje took full advantage of the opportunity, battering Ferguson over five rounds of action before scoring a late TKO to collect a championship belt.

The fighters began the first round with a cautious approach before Gaethje began throwing massive punches in between heavy leg kicks.

Ferguson (25-4) began to fire back with a nearly mirrored attack, though it was Ferguson’s chin getting the biggest test in the early stages of the fight.

In the final seconds of the round, Ferguson dropped Gaethje with a massive uppercut that could have ended the fight had Gaethje not been saved by the bell.

In the fourth round, the stone jaw of El Cucuy began to crack as his legs buckled from a heavy right from Gaethje.

In the fifth round, Gaethje jab caused Ferguson to shake his head and stumble backward with his arms and legs seeming to betray him.

Referee Herb Dean jumped in to call a halt to the bout at the 3:39 mark of Round 5.