The absolute fighting championship continues to seek opportunities for the UFC 249 tournament, in the main match of which Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson should meet. The coronavirus epidemic forced the promotion to abandon the show in New York. Last week, information appeared that the main event of the first half of 2020 in mixed martial arts can take place outside the United States. However, as MMA Fighting became aware, the UFC is also considering options for holding the 249th tournament in Florida. The host cities of the competition are Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.
Over the past five years, the Absolute Fighting Championship has hosted events in Florida six times, but they were all at the level of weekly shows, not PPV. At the same time, one of them still played the title, and also in lightweight. In December 2015, the current belt owner Rafael Dos Agnos and Donald Cerrone met in the octagon. As often happens in important battles involving the Cowboy, everything ended pretty quickly. The American lasted only 66 seconds, after which he was forced to admit defeat.
Apparently, official confirmation from the UFC may follow in the very near future. Indeed, on the eve of the White himself admitted that he had already decided the issue of the venue of the tournament. The head of the promotion refrained from extensive comments on this topic, but assured that because of the threat of the spread of coronavirus in the arena, spectators would not be able to attend.
Representatives of the athletes have also not yet been informed about the venue, and they continue to share assumptions and suggestions regarding the host city of the show. So, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov said that his son would like to fight in the capital of Russia. Meanwhile, a week ago he talked about the lack of chances for a duel in Moscow.
“Habib is in good shape, getting ready for battle. We are waiting for the announcement of the city where it will take place. I would like to fight in Moscow, let's wait two days, and the city will be announced. Of course, there will be no spectators, this is 100%. According to the law, more than 50 people should not be in the hall, ”RIA Novosti quoted Nurmagomedov, Sr.
In addition, the father of the current lightweight champion expressed the opinion that his son would not be bothered by the fact that fans could not attend the stadium.
“Will empty stands affect Khabib?” Why should it affect him? Are there people who have stronger nerves than ours? Though under water, even in space. It is very important for him to hold this fight. Seven years Ferguson does not lose. We feel we must stop him, ”said Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov to the Rating of Bookmakers.
Russia is also interested in a duel between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson, as already stated by Vladimir Khryunov. But, as the famous boxing promoter noted, negotiations over this issue have not progressed over the past few weeks.
“I said that I was ready to organize this fight, but it was three days before the order of the Ministry of Sports to ban all competitions. And when the restrictions are removed, if it is still relevant, then we will immediately return to this conversation. Because Habib is a hero for our country. It will be very easy to find a site and gather people. Everything is real. There is direct contact with Dana White, but so far we have stopped everything. It’s necessary not to fantasize, but to understand what a terrible danger threatens the world, ”Hryunov told Sport Express.
🤔🇧🇾 Belarus has remained almost the only country where sport still lives.
😏16 / 04 we play against @fcneman - 04/18 our stadium is free ... It seems we know where @TeamKhabib and @TonyFergusonXT will take place
😎 @ ufc @ danawhite @ sportsru - Our arena is ready # ufc # ufc249 # Dynamo pic.twitter.com / xqU3TDSdRM
The press service of Dynamo Minsk also took part in the discussion of the future UFC 249. The club said that on April 18 the Tractor Stadium was not occupied and jokingly expressed their readiness to accept the fight between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson.
“Belarus has remained practically the only country where sport still lives. 04/16 we play against FC Neman, 18/04 our stadium is free ... It seems we know where the duel of Habib and Tony will take place. UFC, Dana White, our arena is free, ”the announcement said on Dynamo’s official Twitter account.
As for Habib himself, at the moment the main task for him is to continue hard training and not pay attention to external factors. However, it is extremely difficult to do this, because the coronavirus pandemic has already had a direct impact on its training process. As you know, because of the threat of an epidemic, the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) hall was closed in San Jose, where Nurmagomedov traditionally conducted his training, which forced him to return to Dagestan.
Nurmagomedov himself posted an Instagram post on this subject, in which he said that his return to his homeland was not without adventure.
“It was a fascinating journey, which by the way has not yet ended. Whether there will still be ... Although health is above all. Take care of yourself and your family, and sport cannot stand above life's values. If my coffee is vanilla, ”Nurmagomedov said in a statement.
View this Instagram post
Posted by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) Mar 25, 2020 at 12:57 pm PDT
As his teammate and former UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier noted, in the first place, Nurmagomedov’s decision to leave the United States was due to his desire to be with his family.
“I think returning was the right decision for him. He needs to be with his family. He has children, a wife, a very small child, and he needs to be with him, ”Cormier quotes ESPN.
At the same time, the legendary athlete could not avoid questions about a possible revenge between Nurmagomedov and McGregor. After Conor's triumphant return to the octagon, many believe that a second meeting between the athletes is only a matter of time and with a high degree of probability can take place in the autumn of 2020. In any case, this fully corresponds to the Irish plan, the details of which were announced back in January.
“No fight will bring more money than a fight between Khabib and Conor. No battle between the level of Nurmagomedov and Ferguson will provide such a profit, regardless of who else will be in the card. I think there is such an opportunity (to arrange it in the future. - RT ). Everything can end just this, even if such ardent fans like me want to see the battle with Tony, ”said Cormier.
At the same time, he admitted that for a start he would like to see the battle of Nurmagomedov with Ferguson.
“Conor can make money by fighting with someone else. He should fight with someone else before fighting Nurmagomedov again. Is that shown in 45 seconds with Donald Cerrone enough to prove that he is able to prevent a repeat of the outcome of the first fight with Habib? ” - concluded the American.
The most obvious candidate for a meeting with McGregor is Justin Gatzy. At the moment, he takes fourth place in the lightweight rating and has a series of three victories in a row. The American alternately sorted out with James Vick, Edson Barboza and the same Cerrone and is sure that he should become a member of the champion eliminator.
“I think that Conor and I need to fight to determine the name of the first applicant. Otherwise, if I need to fight with someone else to confirm this title, I will do it, ”quoted Gage MMA Fighting.
Both Nurmagomedov himself and his entourage have repeatedly said that McGregor needs to earn the right to fight Khabib again. At the same time, Gatgi himself is confident that if he is defeated, Conor's candidacy will no longer be in doubt.
“He knows that if he fights with me and wins, neither Khabib nor Ali (Abdel-Aziz, manager Nurmagomedova. - RT ), nor anyone else can say that he still needs to earn the right to fight for the title. But until that moment, he won’t get it, ”concluded Gatgy.