Word came down Monday that the UFC inked a new main event for UFC 249. With lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov pinned down by coronavirus-related travel restrictions in his native Russia, company President Dana White announced on Twitter that Justin Gaethje would step in against Tony Ferguson.

With these two fighters both living in America, it stands to reason that a stateside location is in the works, reportedly on the West Coast or tribal lands. Fans should probably expect significant changes up and down the card, given its typical-for-the-UFC mix of international competitors. 

(Update: Reports came in late Monday that White and the UFC may be buying an island—an island!—in an as-yet-undisclosed location, adding that a final deal was "a day or two" away. Stay tuned.) 

In the wake of this news, there are a few things to consider, including the potential risks of holding the event amid a global pandemic. Still, you have to acknowledge that White is on the precipice of another massive personal achievement.  

Second, White's doggedness is, as always, his best quality, at least as it relates to running the UFC. He swore he'd make it happen, and he's worked around the clock to follow through. On April 18, his UFC will be the only game in town. It will draw eyeballs and gratitude from fans and the various business stakeholders, and it might just create some MMA converts. 

That draws us right into the third point, which is that Ferguson-Gaethje is an amazing fight. As in, one of the most action-packed contests the UFC could make right now in any division. These are two pressure fighters who want nothing else but a knockout. If this does hit the airwaves, I'm watching.

The rest of the card may end up being atrocious, but is that really a problem? As previously mentioned, White is the last shrimp boat on the bayou.

Now, before we break out the chest paint, there's a caveat to all this that people should be aware of. The hardest part—that matter of location—remains unresolved, at least publicly.

Whatever the location, ESPN's Ariel Helwani offered a reading of the tea leaves when he noted that, if nothing else, an official main event announcement signals that a location decision is imminent, as Ferguson would only agree to fight Gaethje if the UFC had a definite location. 

Where else could UFC 249 take place? Chael Sonnen's Submission Underground 12, which aired recently on UFC Fight Pass, took place in an abandoned Oregon grain silo. I mean, that's West Coast, is it not? Meanwhile, Belarus, which has not implemented recommended guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus, has kindly opened its doors—they could hold it in front of a full crowd! You could have Andrei Arlovski fight cameras. 

Now let's drop the other shoe. A generational disaster is only beginning to unfold. We don't know what the future holds—for UFC 249 or in general. White's work ethic deserves respect, but getting this over the finish line doesn't magically make it the right thing to do. 

An MMA fight is the dictionary opposite of social distancing. Unless the UFC tests everyone coming into the building and all those tests come back negative, there's a strong possibility the virus, which can be carried by someone without he or she knowing it, will be transmitted among fighters and coaches, regardless of anything else. But there's a larger issue, which is that this event may not convey the world's most effective message regarding staying apart and taking that seriously. Could UFC 249 have that kind of influence, consciously or otherwise, on its viewers? I don't know the answer to that, but I do wonder about it. They certainly have that capacity, or else they couldn't sell commercials.

Am I saying that everyone who participates in or watches the event is going to get COVID-19? Of course not. The real point is this: How many fatalities—and how much evidence—do we need before we conclude that, yeah, we might want to pull out all the stops to stop the spread. 

It's a free country at the end of the day, and White just took a big step closer to getting what he wants. He'll be able to oh-so-satisfyingly rub the haters' noses in it one more time. But could there be a hidden cost? We won't know until the bill comes due.