Khabib Nurmagomedov News

Natasha Hooper - April 1, 2020

Tony Ferguson has reacted to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s apparent withdrawal from UFC 249. Multiple UFC events have been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, Dana White has been putting in his best efforts to ensure UFC 249 on April 18 still takes place. The event was scheduled to feature lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov defend his belt against Tony Ferguson. The pair have been booked to throw down four times in the past, yet none of those proposed bouts ever came to fruition.

Tom Taylor - April 1, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov is seemingly — and understandably — reluctant to fight at UFC 249 as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep the planet. Nurmagomedov, the UFC lightweight champ, was expected to fight Tony Ferguson on the April 18 card. Unfortunately, new travel bans have made it difficult for him to leave his native Russia to participate in the fight — though it could still be possible.

Tom Taylor - April 1, 2020

There’s still a glimmer of hope that we might see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fight at UFC 249 on April 18. Earlier this week, Russia announced new travel restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19. The lightweight champ Nurmagomedov had returned to Russia by that point, meaning he was seemingly stuck in the country and unable to fly to the United States or elsewhere to fight Ferguson on the 18.

Tom Taylor - March 31, 2020

With UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov stuck in Russia due to new COVID-19 travel restrictions, his would-be opponent Tony Ferguson must make a decision: wait to fight Nurmagomedov when the pandemic subsides, or fight somebody else in the meantime. John Kavanagh, the coach behind Conor McGregor, seems to be hoping Ferguson goes the latter route. On Tuesday, ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani posted a poll on Twitter, asking fans if they’d prefer to see Ferguson wait to fight Nurmagomedov or fight replacement opponent Justin Gaethje on April 18.

Tom Taylor - March 30, 2020

Early on Monday morning, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he is stuck in Russia due to the country’s new travel restrictions. The implication here, of course, is that his long-awaited fight with Tony Ferguson now seems nearly impossible. While the bout is not officially cancelled yet, it seems very unlikely that it will have to be. Considering Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight four times previously to no avail, that’s a tough pill to swallow.

Alfredo Zullino - March 30, 2020

It seems that the UFC 249 main event, which was expected to pit Khabib Nurmagomedov against Tony Ferguson, could be off the table again. There has been widespread worry over the last few days about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s whereabouts, and on Monday morning, “The Eagle” took to Instagram Live to confirm that he is seemingly stranded in Russia now that the country has closed its borders to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Christopher Taylor - March 28, 2020

If the UFC plans to hold future events as scheduled, they are likely going to have to do so by pitting fellow countrymen up against one another. With cross-border closures already being implemented by many countries due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the only way fighters will likely to be able to compete is if it comes against someone from their home nation. That is at least for the foreseeable future.

Christopher Taylor - March 28, 2020

UFC President Dana White is determined to have next month’s UFC 249 pay-per-view event take place as scheduled on April 18, 2020. The fight card was originally slated to take place in Brooklyn, however, due to the Covid-19 outbreak the promotion was forced to move the event on short-notice.

Tom Taylor - March 27, 2020

Dustin Poirier came up short in his bid to swipe the UFC lightweight title from Khabib Nurmagomedov back in September. That being said, he did have a brief moment of success against the champ, threatening with a deep guillotine choke mid-way through the fight. Speaking on a recent edition of the UFC Unfiltered podcast, Poirier looked back on the moment that he almost submitted Nurmagomedov.

Tom Taylor - March 27, 2020

If everything goes according to plan, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson will finally collide in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. The card will not occur in Brooklyn as originally planned, and there will not be any fans in the building watching it live, but if Dana White is to believed, it’s going to happen. The fight is a massive one for MMA not only because Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight four times previously to no avail, but because they stand out as the two greatest lightweights of this era.

Natasha Hooper - March 27, 2020

Daniel Cormier believes that Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249 will take place next month. However, he remains sceptical about the destiny of future events. The former two-division champion trains under the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) banner alongside teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov. “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov is scheduled to defend his lightweight title against Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249. The eagerly anticipated matchup has been scheduled 4 times before but cancelled each time.

Cole Shelton - March 26, 2020

Artem Lobov believes his teammate and friend, Conor McGregor deserves the chance to rematch Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor and Nurmagomedov fought back at UFC 229 where the lead up to the fight was intense. The rivalry was heated and after the submission win by Nurmagomedov, a post-fight melee took place.

Natasha Hooper - March 25, 2020

Oddsmakers have released the most likely location for UFC 249. On April 18th, the eagerly anticipated matchup between Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov is expected to headline the UFC 249 event. However, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and the cancellation of multiple MMA events, the likelihood of the April show has remained up in the air.

Adam Martin - March 24, 2020

UFC president Dana White is confident UFC 249 will go on as planned, and a new report says the event could take place in Florida. On Monday, White said that UFC 249 was still a go for April 18 with a lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and top contender Tony Ferguson. White also said that the event will feature a full undercard. White said that he has a home for the event but is not ready to release that to the public. We now have an idea of where that may be.

Adam Martin - March 24, 2020

The sportsbooks have released the full card betting odds for UFC 249 after UFC president Dana White confirmed the event will still go on. White said on Monday to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! that the UFC will still hold UFC 249, which includes a main event featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson for the UFC lightweight title. The event was originally set for Brooklyn, New York, but will be moved due to the coronavirus outbreak. The UFC president also confirmed it will be a full card and that the promotion knows where the card will take place, though he can’t announce it yet.

Natasha Hooper - March 24, 2020

Justin Gaethje has said the only way Conor McGregor can prove he’s worthy of a Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch is to fight him. The No. 4 ranked lightweight has been calling for a fight against “The Notorious” for some time. With the future of UFC events uncertain due to the coronavius, “The Highlight” is thinking strategically about his next opponent.

Tom Taylor - March 23, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov has packed his bags and returned home to his native Russia. The undefeated UFC lightweight champion is gearing up for a title defense opposite undefeated champion Tony Ferguson. The bout was originally expected to go down at UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, yet as the coronavirus pandemic has swept the planet, the status of the card has become quite uncertain. We already know it won’t be happening in New York, and perhaps not even on US soil.

Tom Taylor - March 23, 2020

UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo is gunning for the top spot on the UFC’s vaunted pound-for-pound list, and not even the coronavirus pandemic will stop him. At least, that’s the message he shared on Instagram recently.