UFC News: Latest on PPV Schedule, Speculation Around Conor McGregor's Next Fight

UFC President Dana White maintained the company would be the first major sports organization back in action amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and he's getting his wish.

The promotion was forced to postpone UFC 249 after receiving pressure from California officials and executives from media partners Disney and ESPN.

However, the event is back on and will emanate from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on May 9:

White confirmed to ESPN's Brett Okamoto that two more events will follow on May 13 and May 16 in Jacksonville, with the cards for each show still being finalized.

"They want to fight," the UFC chief said of the demand among fighters to get inside the Octagon. "People are hitting us up and want to fight. We're putting together three cards in a week. People who want to fight are going to get fights."

The state of Florida became a possible destination once Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a statewide order saying "employees at a professional sports and media production with a national audience" were exempt from stay-at-home orders.

WWE, for example, has continued operating Raw and SmackDown out of its Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, during the pandemic.

White told Okamoto that UFC is holding a show on May 23 but a location is forthcoming. He added the much ballyhooed "Fight Island" remains a reality:

UFC 249 is headlined by Tony Ferguson's matchup with Justin Gaethje to determine an interim lightweight champion. Gaethje originally took the place of Khabib Nurmagomedov. White told Okamoto the winner will be tentatively slated to oppose Nurmagomedov in September or October.

ESPN's Ariel Helwani wondered whether the outcome could impact Conor McGregor's next step in UFC, namely reigniting his rivalry with Nate Diaz:

"Well, let's say Ferguson beats Gaethje. That should guarantee a Ferguson-Khabib Nurmagomedov fight in the fall, right? It would also knock Gaethje out of a top rankings spot. Who was Gaethje supposed to fight in July? Conor McGregor. No chance they do that fight if Gaethje is coming off a loss, right? OK, what if Gaethje wins, you ask? Then he fights Nurmagomedov, right? Again, freeing up McGregor. Now, in this scenario they could do Ferguson vs. McGregor, but I also feel like either May 9 scenario opens the door to make the trilogy fight between Diaz and McGregor."

McGregor is UFC's biggest star, so the company would presumably want to hold off as long as it can in the hopes that fans are able to attend major events once more, perhaps with a cap on the attendance.

However, that option may not be on the table for the foreseeable future.

John Kavanagh, McGregor's trainer, confirmed to Helwani that an encounter with Gaethje in July had been discussed among the interested parties. In theory, that would allow UFC to cash in on a McGregor-headlined pay-per-view while leaving open a bigger showcase for later this year or 2021.

The possibility of a Diaz vs. McGregor rubber match might be too good to pass up, though, if the necessary pieces fall into place.