Proposal from Belarus and waiting for an answer from White: what can save the battle between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson

“They explained to them that everything is possible in Belarus”

The cancellation of the battle between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson was a real disappointment for fans of mixed martial arts. UFC President Dana White assured to the last that the meeting will take place. However, the refusal of the Russian seemed to put an end to this issue.

Nevertheless, fans still believe that the chances of holding a fight still remain. And some hope was given to them by the coach of the athlete Javier Mendes. Answering subscribers' questions as part of his podcast, the specialist recalled that the battle has not yet been officially canceled and can take place if White calls the venue. Otherwise, Mendes does not exclude that the confrontation can be postponed to August or September.

However, the head of the Absolute Fighting Championship so far prefers to remain silent. Two weeks before the UFC 249 tournament scheduled for April 18, it is still unknown where it will be held. In this regard, Belarus unexpectedly sent an official request to the organization, in which they expressed their willingness to hold a competition.

“We contacted the UFC through our friends and intermediaries who communicate directly with them. They explained to them the situation that everything is possible in Belarus, our president did not limit mass events. Of course, before that we enlisted the support of the state in the person of the Ministry of Sports and the Presidential Administration. When they got their consent, they made such an offer to the UFC, ”says Maxim Korolkov, executive director of the hand-to-hand fighting and mixed martial arts federation of Sport24, Sport24.

He also said that the UFC has already given Belarusians an oral answer. Their application is included "in the conditional plan" B ".

“They already have venues for this tournament. Dana White does not want to report this, but there are well-developed options. In any case, they are grateful and ready to consider our option with Minsk for future UFC tournaments, ”added the functionary.

According to Korolkov, the competition can take place either at the Minsk Arena, which hosted the final match of the world hockey championship, or at the restored Dynamo football stadium, where the opening ceremony of the European Games took place last year. Among the advantages of the application, the executive director of the federation called the possibility of visa-free entry for representatives of 74 countries, including the United States.

“Ferguson would have lasted two, two and a half rounds”

Nurmagomedov himself has not yet commented on the information that has appeared. Nevertheless, his father and trainer Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov spoke about preparations for the fight with Ferguson. According to him, the son spent one of the best training camps in his career and is in amazing shape.

“I do not want to speak in figures and facts, but he scored excellent conditions. It was the longest camp. He was in perfect shape. I think Ferguson would have lasted two, two and a half rounds. This is my opinion, ”said Nurmagomedov Sr. in an interview with YouTube channel Ushatayka.

The specialist also spoke about double standards in the UFC in relation to athletes from Russia. He lamented that Habib received the title fight only in the tenth fight as part of the promotion. The same, according to the coach, is waiting for another of his charges, Islam Makhachev.

“Habib has fought double standards since day one at the UFC. What do double standards mean for Russians, for our fighters? You deserve it, you don't deserve it - nobody will talk about you. When Habib signed a contract with the UFC, his track record included 16 victories in 16 battles. In the UFC, he immediately began to win. After five consecutive victories, any foreign fighter would be given a duel for the status of an official contender for the belt, and then a title fight. We want the lightweight category to remain with Russia. I have many talented fighters there, ”said Nurmagomedov Sr. in an interview posted on Igor Rybakov’s YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, another Russian speaker in the UFC, Rustam Khabilov, made words of support to Khabib. The athlete believes that the champion should not look for a place to fight with Ferguson, and the organization of the tournament is entirely entrusted to the promotion.

“He must sit in the gym, train and plow. And when they already say one hundred percent where the tournament will be held, fly there. But so far no one knows where it will take place. Initially, they generally said that they would not be in the USA, so it was no longer possible to train there. You will see that this tournament as a result does not take place at all. He will not pass anywhere, ”TASS quoted Khabilov as saying.

The arrival of Macregore or a fight with compatriots

The fate of UFC 249 itself remains truly unclear. After Nurmagomedov’s words about the cancellation of the battle, no information appeared about Ferguson’s new opponent or about the future of the evening itself. Initially, the media reported that one of Tony's compatriots, Justin Gatji or Dustin Porrier, could replace Habib. Such a plan seemed quite logical, because if the competition was held in the United States, the Americans would not have any problems with moving around the country.

Conor McGregor's arrival seemed far more fantastic, given the closure of the borders. Nevertheless, Fox Sports on its official website hastened to include such a fight in the UFC 249 schedule.

However, there is practically no chance that such a fight will take place on April 18. This was stated by Notorius coach John Cavan. He stressed that Ireland is isolated due to the coronavirus, and his ward cannot even train normally, since all the halls in the country are closed. And Conor himself thinks more about COVID-19, which is noticeable in his posts on social networks.

But who is ready to enter the “cage” on April 18 is Surinamese heavyweight Jairzinho Rosenstrike, who occupies sixth place in the UFC rating in his weight category. He invited White to organize a duel for a temporary champion belt between him and Francis Ngann, located on the second line.