The highly anticipated title bout between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov might witness yet another cancellation because of the flight constraints placed by countries affected by the Coronavirus.
Dana White assured fans that the fight will go on. However, travel bans have placed yet another ‘curse’ on this match-up. Khabib, while addressing his fans on Instagram, spoke about the current situation at home in Dagestan, Russia.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson- The ‘Cursed’ Fight
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“We were training at AKA without any information regarding the fight, where and how is it going to happen. Then the UFC told us that the fight 100% isn’t happening in the States. And they said that 99% that it will happen in (United Arab) Emirates, Abu Dhabi,” said Khabib
The fight was originally scheduled to take place at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, but was scrapped because of the commission’s social-distancing protocols. Abu Dhabi, which hosted the title-fight between Khabib and Dustin Poirier, looked ready to welcome another legendary UFC event. However, with the country reporting several cases of the pandemic, the event may become a distant reality.
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Perhaps, more shockingly, there have been talks of the UFC conducting the event without ‘The Eagle’. Khabib is currently ‘stuck’ in Dagestan, and with borders and exit point shut down, the fighter may never reach his destination.
“So now I am hearing that they are looking to organize it with or without me. OK, go ahead. Everyone should follow the laws. I am not against it, I know that fighters need to feed their families and pay their bills. I know how hard it is for the fighter. Unless they fight they aren’t getting any money”. Said Khabib.
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What is undoubtedly the biggest match-up in the history of the UFC remains in jeopardy. We can only hope COVID-19 doesn’t make this fight its next victim.
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