While the UFC revealed the full line-up for UFC 249 on Friday, it did not comment on the makeup of the other two events it announced. Both planned for Jacksonville, Florida’s VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, the cards on May 13 and May 16 remained something of a mystery.
Now, both appear to have main events set. On May 13, Anthony Smith will face Glover Teixeira in a light heavyweight battle. That fight, which Smith later confirmed following an initial report from MMA Junkie, was originally slotted in as the headliner of UFC Lincoln this month.
Just a few days later on May 16, the third octagon event in the span of a week (technically eight days) will take place with Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris headlining the card. That fight was originally scheduled for UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C. last December. However, the murder of Harris’ stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard saw him replaced by Jair Rozenstruik.
The fight was then rebooked for UFC Portland on April 11, only for the event to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The promotion is no doubt hoping that the third time is the charm.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s big fight week in May kicks off with UFC 249 on May 9, topped by a pair of title fights: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje for interim lightweight gold, and Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title currently held by “Triple C.”
