Published 18:46 IST, July 17th 2020
Khabib Nurmagomedov still on course to fight Justin Gaethje despite father's death: Report
UFC president Dana White is optimistic that Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight Justin Gaethje this year despite the sudden passing away of his father.
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Undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has been out of UFC action since his last appearance against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 headliner. Although he was scheduled to return against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, lightweight thriller was called off after Khabib Nurmagomedov got stuck in Russia due to lockdown protocols. While re was massive speculation regarding his return shortly, Khabib Nurmagomedov's far’s unfortunate demise is expected to keep those plans on hold.
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Khabib far death: Eagle will fight Justin Gaethje at UFC 253
Khabib Nurmagomedov's far tragically passed away last month due to several health complications following COVID-19. While entire MMA community mourned his death, Khabib Nurmagomedov's return to action is also up in air. However, UFC chief Dana White has seemingly std an event for Khabib and “ Eagle” is expected to headline UFC 253 against title contender Justin Gaethje.
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Khabib far death: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje could go down this year
As reported by Sun, Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight Justin Gaethje this year despite sudden passing of his far. UFC president Dana White is determined to arrange a fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. fight id is slated to take place on September 19 at Fight Island. Khabib Nurmagomedov has been out of scene since his far passed away but Dana White believes that ' Eagle' will be back in octagon soon.
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Khabib far death: Dana White on Khabib Nurmagomedov's return
Dana White, in a recent interview, stated: “I don’t think it (Khabib's return) is off table. I’m just waiting to hear from him. I’m t messing with Khabib Nurmagomedov. I’m leaving him alone until he’s ready to talk and letting him mourn and do what he has to do. I reached out to him day of. I haven’t heard back from him since.” Justin Gaethje replaced Khabib Nurmagomedov against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. Justin Gaethje won against 'El Cucuy' via technical kckout to book a fight against Khabib.
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(Source: Khabib, Gaethje/Instagram)
18:46 IST, July 17th 2020