Khabib Nurmagomedov Responds To Those Upset He Is Off UFC 249 Card

Khabib Nurmagomedov has responded to those who are accusing him of ducking his planned April 18 bout with Tony Ferguson.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on the world of sports but UFC president Dana White is attempting to push through with the April 18 card. The original main event was to be a lightweight title bout between champion Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. Nurmagomedov is in Russia where a travel ban is in effect. Therefore, the bout with “El Cucuy” is off.

Some fight fans took Ferguson’s route and accused Nurmagomedov of taking the easy way out. “The Eagle” made it clear during an Instagram live chat that he feels this is an illogical thought.

“I want to fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “But the UFC has no location. Europe, US, Asia… they never send location. So how is this to happen? Fly to where? This is what happened. No location.

“All gate is closed,” Nurmagomedov added, touching on the extreme difficulty of international travel. “US gate. Russian gate. Everyone is told to stay home for quarantine. The number one thing that drive me crazy about this is people say I pull out. How do I pull out when there is no gate? No location? This I don’t understand.”

This would’ve been the third time Nurmagomedov put his UFC lightweight gold on the line. He submitted both Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier in his first two title defenses.

Ferguson was hoping to finally get his first crack at the undisputed UFC lightweight gold. He is a former interim champion but was stripped of the title after suffering an injury.