Khabib Nurmagomedov Returns to Russia to Complete UFC 249 Training Camp

After spending some time at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to his homeland to complete the remainder of his training camp for UFC 249.

Russian outlet TASS has reported that Nurmagomedov recently returned to Russia to close out his training. Due to the U.S. government’s ban on large gatherings in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, AKA was closed with the exception Nurmagomedov’s sessions.

"Just Khabib," AKA head coach Javier Mendez told ESPN last week. "That's it. Nobody else is allowed. No one is coming. Just Khabib. ... We've gotta keep it safe for him.”

Nurmagomedov is scheduled to defend his 155-pound belt against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. The promotion is searching for a new location for the event after the New York State Athletic Commission nixed the Barclays Center in Brooklyn — the original venue — as a landing spot for the bout.

Nurmagomedov’s father recently speculated that Abu Dhabi could host Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson, which has been canceled on four previous occasions for various reasons. With government restrictions on travel and large gatherings in place all over the globe, UFC 249 still seems to be very much in doubt, despite promotion president Dana White’s repeated claims that the show will move forward.

At the moment, even Nurmagomedov appears uncertain about where and when the fight will take place.

"Where do we fight and do we fight at all, but what about the weigh in and the place of the fight?” Nurmagomedov wrote in a post on Instagram translated from Russian. "UFC 249. What are you?”

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Мы с Абдуллой пашем, и не можем понять что происходит вообще. Где дерёмся и дерёмся ли вообще, а как на счёт весогонки и место проведения боя , такого я себе не представлял ))) #UFC249 что ты такое)))?

A post shared by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on Mar 23, 2020 at 8:02am PDT