Khabib Nurmagomedov baffled by backlash over UFC 249 fallout: 'I am not coronavirus'
Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t understand why he’s become the fall guy for the disaster that has become UFC 249 and his ill-fated lightweight title fight with Tony Ferguson.
Since confirming his withdrawal Wednesday, Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) has taken the brunt of criticism from fans, as well as Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC), for a fifth cancellation of the matchup between rivals. UFC 249 was supposed to take place April 18 in Brooklyn, N.Y., but the coronavirus pandemic has caused a mad scramble to find a new location for the card while keeping the same date.
The situation looks increasingly grim, leading Nurmagomedov to pull the plug while he’s on lockdown in Russia, where travel in and out of the country has been banned. The days are quickly winding down to April 18, and with the global situation worsening each day, Nurmagomedov said he received no good answers from the UFC as to what’s been going on.
“Nobody knows location, but everyone wants me to fly somewhere,” Nurmagomedov said Thursday on Instagram Live. “I don’t understand this. UFC tried to find a location (almost one month ago); they don’t find. What about me? This is my mistake? UFC don’t send us location. Where (are) we going to fight? I don’t have location; that’s why I’m not going to fight.
“Where we going to fight? Nobody talks about this. Everybody now sit home, and they try to find someone (to blame). They have to put pressure on someone because people are bored. Soccer closed, hockey closd, NFL, NBA, soccer, Olympic games, European championships – everything is closed. Now Tony vs. Khabib, this is maybe closed, too. Now they have to push someone.”
Nurmagomedov’s decision to withdraw from UFC 249 didn’t come on a whim, he said. He originally came to San Jose in late February to finish his training camp at American Kickboxing Academy when he thought he would be fighting in New York. But when the COVID-19 threat started to spread, he began discussing alternatives with the UFC.
According to Nurmagomedov, he was told there was a “0 percent” chance he would be fighting in the U.S., and that there was a “99 percent” chance it would happen in the Middle East. So, he traveled to that part of the world, only to run into several more roadblocks.
“We left San Jose. We landed in Dubai. We landed 8 p.m. at night,” Nurmagomedov recounted. “They say (at) 12 a.m. they close (the) gate. We tried to go in, but this is impossible. They say this is impossible. Then I say, ‘OK, whatever happens we’re going to go to Dagestan and keep training.’ After Dubai, we come to Dagestan and keep training. Right now I finish my training. Every day I’m training, and I’m waiting for location, but they don’t send me.
“All (airport gates) closed. Russian gate is closed, U.S. gate is closed – everywhere is closed. All people sit at home – government, famous people even Dana (White). Where is Dana? Everybody stay home. Everybody in quarantine. All government, all presidents, all famous people. Everybody say, ‘Please stay home’ because people die every day. Thousands of people die. No. 1 country right now, it’s U.S.”
Given all these circumstances, Nurmagomedov thinks he’s being unfairly targeted. He wanted to fight Ferguson just as badly as everyone wanted to finally see it but reiterated there is no venue or host city confirmed, and therefore he might’ve “pulled out” of an event that won’t even exist.
“My name is Khabib. I am not coronavirus,” Nurmagomedov said. “My name is not coronavirus. Dana is Dana. Tony Ferguson is Tony Ferguson. My name is Khabib, but No. 1 thing what make me crazy is people say I pull out, or I do something. I don’t understand this. I’m still training since December, I train very hard since December. I (came) to U.S. because UFC (gave) me location, New York. I come to U.S. I’m training 40 days. Then when everything (went) crazy they say, U.S. 100 percent no fight. We move to Dubai. Why? They told me 99 percent it’s going to be in Dubai.
“My last training camp I come to U.S, I train with coach (Javier Mendez) for 55 days, then we move to Abu Dhabi because fight was in Abu Dhabi. I understand. OK, if it’s not Abu Dhabi, no problem. We did this before we can do it one more time. We come, and they close gate, but this not my problem. I make no mistake. One more time I want to say I am Khabib; I am not coronavirus.”
At this juncture there is no certainty as to what happens next. The UFC has already postponed its next three events, and it seems as though UFC 249 and a number of cards to follow are hanging by a thread, as well.
Nurmagomedov wants to fight Ferguson at the next available opportunity, though. The champ will observe Ramadan beginning later this month but said he could be free to compete in August or September, assuming the coronavirus pandemic is under control.
“I hear the UFC work on (making) show in San Francisco in August,” Nurmagomedov said. “This one is very good. Maybe in August everything is finished, but nobody knows. I hear they going to make show in middle of September in Abu Dhabi. Maybe, I don’t know. If not they can’t make show, after Ramadan is going to be August. But even right now in U.S., nobody knows when this is going to go down.”
UPDATE: Nurmagomedov, in a later interview with ESPN, said he would still be willing to fight if the UFC could send him a definitive location.
“Right now, if they give me location, if I can come out from Russia … I’m going to fight,” he said. “One hundred percent. Just give me location.”