UFC president Dana White was successful in becoming the first sport to resume operations during the pandemic, just as he has been predicting for weeks. UFC 249 took place in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday night, and it was wildly successful.
The Pay-Per-View event drew great ratings through the ESPN+ app, and sportsbooks saw plenty of action on the loaded fight card. White and the UFC are trying to capitalize on that momentum by hosting UFC Fight Night on Wednesday.
Headlining UFC Fight night is a light heavyweight main event featuring Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira. Both men made weight on Tuesday morning, narrowly sneaking in under the 206-pound weight limit.
Preliminary bouts begin at 6 pm ET from Jacksonville, with the main card set to take place at 8 pm ET. UFC Fight Night will be streamed on ESPN+, and the main event will once again be available through Pay-Per-View.
Smith comes into the fight with a record of 32-14, and he has been victorious in three of his past four bouts. Teixeira has won three straight bouts to improve his record to 30-7. Both men were unsuccessful in their attempt to challenge champion Jon Jones.
This is the second of three UFC events set to take place at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena this week. Another UFC Fight Night is scheduled to take place on Saturday night with a heavyweight bout being billed as the main event.
Both of the UFC Fight Night events will take place in front of an empty arena, just as UFC 249 was. There are several health and safety standards in place to ensure the wellbeing of the fighters as well as fight personnel.
FanDuel Releases Fight Night Odds
FanDuel Sportsbook has released many different betting options for the main event of Fight Night that takes place on Wednesday night. Anthony Smith is the betting favorite at -180, while Glover Teixeira checks in at +152. This is the most common bet offered on the fight, but FanDuel has other betting opportunities listed as well.
Method of Victory
- Anthony Smith TKO/KO +110
- Anthony Smith By Points +600
- Anthony Smith By Submission +1000
- Draw +5000
- Glover Teixeira TKO/KO +700
- Teixeira By Points +550
- Teixeira By Submission +450
How Will Fight End?
- KO/TKO -140
- Submission +300
- Points +270
Will the Fight Go the Distance?
- Yes +280
- No -400
Total Rounds
- Over 2.5 Rounds +110
- Under 2.5 Rounds -134
There are also several betting options available that combine the round and method combination. These odds can all be found on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Fight Island to Become a Reality?
UFC President Dana White also announced on Tuesday that Fight Island will likely become a reality later this summer. White is expecting a matchup between Justin Gaethje and Khabib Nurmagomodev for the lightweight title to take place on the island.
Gaethje was awarded an interim lightweight title belt on Saturday night after defeating top contender Tony Ferguson. Khabib Nurmagomodev was expected to fight Ferguson in that event but was unable to attend due to travel restrictions.
White was quick to point out that while the matchup will indeed take place, it could be held in the United States if the country recovers from the pandemic quicker than anticipated. The hope is that the battle till take place near the end of June, giving both fighters some time to prepare.
Conor McGregor is also expected to make a return to the Octagon at some point, as he took to Twitter to call out Gaethje on Monday. White was quick to praise McGregor and his career but will give Gaethje a fight with Khabib first.
