K. Nurmagomedov and his belt. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFC
It's not official yet, but it seems that for the fifth time the fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov x Tony Ferguson must be postponed. The fight, which would be the main attraction of the UFC 249, scheduled for the 18th, was rumored to have been canceled due to the fact that Russia had closed its borders due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Now, the Russian himself has expressed concern about his security if he manages to leave the country.
See too
In a long post on Instagram, written in English and Russian, Khabib commented that the world is concerned about health, with social isolation and quarantine, he is required to face his biggest rival.
“Being at home in quarantine and reading people's reactions to my fight situation, while the whole world should be in quarantine, governments of all countries, famous people around the world asking them to follow safety requirements to limit the spread of the disease, to save people, and Khabib is the only one free from all these obligations and has to demonstrate that he is free to train and fly all over the world for the sake of a fight?
I understand everything and I'm definitely more upset than you about canceling the fight, probably like everyone else, I had a lot of plans after the fight, but I can't control everything. The biggest countries and biggest companies in the world are shocked by what is happening, every day the situation changes in unpredictable ways.
But Khabib still has to fight, is that what you're saying?
Take care of yourselves and put yourself in my shoes.”
UFC has not yet confirmed the cancellation
Despite Khabib's position, the UFC has not yet officially confirmed the cancellation of the fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov e Tony Ferguson. However, since the Russian was trapped in his country due to the closure of the borders, the organization had already been looking for a new rival for the North American. The strongest name so far are those of Justin gaethje, fourth in the lightweight rankings, and Dustin poirier, second in the classification, who offered to take on the fight with little preparation time.
Khabib x Ferguson, the fight that never happens
the fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov x Tony Ferguson it was one of the most anticipated fights of 2020. Before this almost certain postponement, the lightweights were already scheduled to face each other in the Octagon on four occasions. But all were canceled due to health or injury reasons – twice for each of the fighters.
Two of the cancellations were on the eve of title fights. At UFC 209 in March 2017, they would face each other for the interim lightweight title. But Khabib ate tiramisu the week of the show, felt unwell and had to be hospitalized.
At UFC 223, in April 2018, it was Ferguson's turn to be banned on the eve of the fight. The American went to a TV station to give an interview. He tripped over a camera cable and suffered a serious knee injury, leaving him out of the attraction.
Comments