Khabib Nurmagomedov could be available to return sooner than many anticipated after he was unable to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. The highly anticipated lightweight title fight between Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) was scratched for a fifth time as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “The Eagle” returned to his native Dagestan when the original April 18 was up in the air, and he’s been unable to leave since due to travel restrictions. In the aftermath of all that, Ferguson was booked to fight Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight belt on the postponed UFC 249 card, which takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+. Related Tony Ferguson: 'F*ck Khabib,' UFC 249 fight vs. Justin Gaethje 'for the real belt' Spinning Back Clique: Is Tony Ferguson or Justin Gaethje a bigger threat to Khabib?
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UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov opens door for July return, vows to ‘smash them all’ – MMA Junkie