UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has decided to take the remainder of his UFC 249 training camp back to Russia amidst the global coronavirus crisis.
Nurmagomedov’s coach Javier Mendez told ESPN that Khabib was the only one allowed to train at American Kickboxing Academy. He has been kept in total isolation and been training with only his closest teammates.
A few days ago UFC President Dana White was confident the fight was going to happen at any cost possible despite the next 3 UFC events being canceled. However, there seem to be many more hurdles to overcome from a week ago.
UFC 249 was originally scheduled to take place at the Barclays Center on April 18th but due to government restrictions toward large public gatherings, the event must be moved to another location. Rumors have floated that Abu Dubai might be a viable option, a place in which Khabib Nurmagomedov has a huge following.
Tony Ferguson is riding a 12 fight win streak and has been one of the hottest fighters in the lightweight division. His last victory came over Donald Cerrone at UFC 238 via 2nd round TKO. Many believe his orthodox style could be an issue for Nurmagomedov.
The UFC has not yet announced a new location or any updates about any of the fights on the UFC 249 card.