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Gaethje is filling in for Russian UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov, who was supposed to defend his title against Ferguson but is unable to travel due to current restrictions.
In the co-main event, Henry Cejudo will defend his UFC bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz. The latter hasn’t fought in more than three years, but is eager to step into the octagon.
More fights to come
To keep the action going, UFC has scheduled two additional fight nights on May 13 and 16.
Like Saturday night’s event, they, too, will be in VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and closed to the public, “with only essential personnel in attendance,” UFC said.
“As we move step-by-step on the path toward economic recovery, we are proud to host these UFC events at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said in a statement.
“The UFC organization is a renowned entertainment brand that’s presented a safe and sensible plan to use this Jacksonville location, and we are thrilled to have our city highlighted nationally on ESPN and ESPN +.”
“This isn’t just some crazy (operation), this is a well thought out plan. We’ve had very, very smart people, doctors and people that have been involved with the UFC for a very long time working on this thing non -stop since it started. We believe that we have this thing in a place where it can be as safe as it can possibly be. “
The UFC’s website states: “All athletes and staff will be required to adhere to a number of precautionary measures, such as participating in advanced medical screenings and temperature checks and following social distancing guidelines.”
CNN’s Patrick Snell and David Close contributed to this report.
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