Khabib Nurmagomedov to finish training camp in Russia

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is now back in his home country of Russia prior to his UFC 249 bout with Tony Ferguson.

TASS was first to report the news of “The Eagle” going back to Russia. The reports says that Nurmagomedov will close out his training camp there.

Nurmagomedov usually does his whole training camp at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, California. Former UFC heavyweight champion and light heavyweight Daniel Cormier told the UFC Unfiltered that AKA remains open during the COVID-19 pandemic for Nurmagomedov and a few training partners for two hours a day.

UFC 249 is still scheduled to take place on April 18. The fight was originally booked for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn N.Y., but the UFC was forced to change locations due to the coronavirus restrictions. No location for the event has been announced.

Nurmagomedov’s head trainer, Javier Mendez, believes Abu Dhabi is a possible landing spot for the fight. If that’s the case Nurmagomedov is now closer to that location then Ferguson who remains at his home in California. Nurmagomedov defeated Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi in his last fight in September 2019.

The UFC 249 match up between the two juggernauts is said to be the most anticipated fight in UFC history. This is the fifth time that the UFC has booked this fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, with the previous four falling through.

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John Eric Poli