Coronavirus: Khabib-Ferguson venue 99.9 per cent set, says White

UFC president Dana White allayed fears over the main card between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, though UFC 249 will be held without fans.

UFC president Dana White has allayed fears over the Khabib-Ferguson battle

Dana White said the venue for the blockbuster showdown between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson is "99.9 per cent" confirmed, though UFC 249 will be a closed event without fans due to coronavirus.

Khabib raised doubts over the scheduled lightweight title bout with Ferguson, revealing he does not know where the event is going to take place.

UFC 249 had originally been set for April 18 in Brooklyn however the COVID-19 pandemic has forced president White to consider other options.

Read: Wrong direction! Liam Payne finishes last in Virtual Bahrain GP

But UFC boss White allayed fears over the Khabib-Ferguson battle on Monday.

"I do [know where it is]," White told Yahoo Sports journalist Kevin Iole during an Instagram Live session. "But I'm not ready to tell you yet. I know lots of things. … There's not going to be any fans there. It's going to be a closed event."

"Trust me, Khabib has been telling me every day, 'Send location'," White told ESPN . "I have it. It's 99.9 per cent. On April 18, we are having this fight."

White also said UFC 249 will feature a full card, adding: "We're going to face some problems, I'm sure. There are always problems with every card we put on, and with this situation, you expect there will be more, but we will still find a way to promote these fights. We always f****** do."

Coronavirus has resulted in more than 16,550 casualties worldwide, with over 381,650 cases.

In the United States, at least 580 people have died from more than 46,100 cases.

"Everybody who is going to be involved in this thing is going to be because they want to be, not because they have to be or they have to do anything," White said. "Believe me: We didn't just start thinking about safety when the coronavirus popped up.

"Health and safety, these are things that normal businesses that are out there right now don't necessarily have to think about on a daily basis. Healthy and safety is something we've been doing long before the coronavirus and we’ll be doing it long after the coronavirus is gone. This is just normal [expletive] for us."