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Opinion: The Ringmaster’s Drive to Beat COVID-19

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The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 249 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.

When Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov recently revealed that he was stranded in Dagestan following Russia’s suspension of international flights, it looked like the death knell for UFC 249. The card had already suffered multiple setbacks on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, including being forced to change venues and mounting pressure from pundits and rivals alike to postpone the event.