UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has a very tough test in his first fight back since the loss of his father. The champ will face interim champion Justin Gaethje on October 24th but the question remains as to where he will do his training. With the coronavirus cases rising in the United States it did not come as a surprise when his coach said he will not be training there.
California is overwhelmed with cases and heavy restrictions are being put in place which would make it hard for a team to realistically find a reliable location to safely train. Coach Javier Mendez told ESPN his thoughts on how Khabib will be preparing for Gaethje.
We’ve got two choices right? Las Vegas or Fight Island. I’m thinking Fight Island, but they haven’t said it yet. What I do know is that [COVID-19] is too high in California, and Khabib is not comfortable coming here to train.
Both Khabib and Justin will need to have their A games when they step into the cage to unify their titles.