I’m not going to be popular for making this comment but I agree that lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov should remain in Russia during this coronavirus pandemic. The whole world is essentially quarantined or at least self isolating and no fighter should have to put their health at risk to entertain the fans.
Tony Ferguson was supposed to challenge the Russian for his belt in a highly anticipated fight at UFC 249 this month. Despite mandatory event shut downs, venue closures, and restrictions being issued left and right the UFC was still attempting to keep the event alive. Ferguson and Khabib were scheduled to fight each other several times in the past but for one reason or the other those clashes were canceled. Fans were hoping against hope that it would finally happen and so was Dana because the importance of that bout cannot be overstated.
So….
Social media can be a treacherous place if you are even the slightest bit famous. Everything you do is scrutinized and people seem to immediately think the worst. Naturally, when Khabib announced that he would be unable to leave Russia to come to the United States for UFC 249 the conspiracy theorists and and haters came out in force. Unfounded claims of cowardice and unfavorable words littered the comments section of related Twitter posts. It was likely the frustration and disappointment of the news that prompted it? Like I said, social media can be confusing and at times a disaster.
Khabib himself finally released a statement on social media to address the situation and we encourage you to read it.