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Split Odds on Khabib vs Ferguson on April 18/19 – Will the Fight Take Place?

Dylan Bowker

by Dylan Bowker in Mixed Martial Arts News

Updated Mar 23, 2021 · 1:23 PM PDT

UFC President Dana White at a press conference.
Dana White's Contender Series continues at the UFC Apex gym in Las Vegas. Photo by Andrius Petrucenia (Flickr)
  • Khabib vs Ferguson is surprisingly still up in the air and many have unanswered questions
  • Does Khabib versus Ferguson take place in April or will those plans be scrapped?
  • See below for odds, analysis and a prediction  

Khabib vs Ferguson is a rare example of the classic expression five times the charm. Efforts have been made to book this lightweight mega-fight four times prior to no avail.

It’s truly wild for a global pandemic to set in and threaten to cancel this fight for an unprecedented fifth time. Many wonder why the MMA gods are being so cruel and ponder if this fight is just forever doomed. Dana White is adamant that things will come together for this fight despite the many limitations that COVID-19 has put on live event promoters as of late.

Odds Khabib vs Ferguson happens April 18/19

Outcome Odds
Yes -120
No -120

Odds taken on March 20th.

This fight has fallen apart in ways that range from normative MMA fare to the plainly ridiculous. The first attempt to book the bout saw Khabb get injured and then Ferguson got injured before the second attempt. The third attempt saw the two make it to fight week but Kabib couldn’t weigh in the day prior to fight night (as a result of health complications that some theorize is tied to Nurmagomedov eating tiramisu). The fourth attempt saw Ferguson trip over a cable while shooting something to promote the fight. He had to bow out as a result of a sustained injury from that freak accident which happened on April Fools of all days.

For a global pandemic to possibly scrap the fifth fight seems right in line with this bizarro world-style timeline. The next few UFC events have been postponed despite Dana White’s efforts to keep them going. March 21st, March 28th, and April 11th were all called off. Efforts to move things to UFC’s Las Vegas facility (The Apex) was altered by the state changing their stance on live events. Despite these cancellations, White has assured the media and UFC fanbase that the Khabib vs Ferguson fight will still go on April 18th.

0-5 or 1-4 on the Dream Fight?

The UFC figurehead has challenged fans and media who predict that he can’t get this done. Verbatim saying “Do you want to bet against me?” The UFC did put on a recent event in Brazil with no fans live in attendance. It seems like the promotion is wanting to do something similar with Khabib vs Ferguson. Whereby there are no live fans and only a skeleton crew comprised of essential UFC staff. Within the context of international events, this would likely become one as well with White saying this fight likely does not go down in America.

 

This fight has been on people’s minds for close to four and a half years now. For a period of time in this rapid COVID-19 timeline, UFC was the last bastion of live sports entertainment. They were very much not following the widespread normative trend of major sporting leagues halting all live events.  Part of what’s endeared Dana White to fans is this ethos that he gets all the hard deals done. The fights that seem like fantasy matchmaking, he delivers on. It’s part of this perception hat has fuelled his dogged, stubborn determination to book the seemingly unbookable bout.

Despite the meme-based playfulness surrounding this fight coming to fruition, I ultimately think that this fight will be postponed. The voodoo curse surrounding this prizefight, multiple recent UFC cancellations from coronavirus, and several other factors lead me to believe this will not happen towards the end of April.

Pick: No (-120)

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