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UFC: Khabib turned away at UAE border despite being told Tony Ferguson fight was ‘99 per cent in Abu Dhabi’
- Lightweight champion Khabib says he travelled to Abu Dhabi in March after talking to the UFC
- Russian expresses disappointment at being stranded in Russia but says show must go on
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Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed that he and his team had travelled to rumoured UFC 249 location Abu Dhabi before heading to Russia – but they were turned away at the Emirati border.
The UFC lightweight champion’s fight against Tony Ferguson – originally set for April 19 in Brooklyn but relocated to an unnamed venue due to the Covid-19 pandemic – is in further doubt after Khabib returned to Russia less than two weeks ago.
On Monday, the Russian government announced heightened travel restrictions in and out of the country, causing Khabib to reveal the UFC is “looking for an opponent” for Ferguson.
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In the same Instagram Live session, the 31-year-old Khabib described his complicated journey from training in the US, to travelling to the UAE, before returning home to Russia.
“Everyone is asking where I am right now, but let’s start from the very beginning. About 10 days ago we were in California, AKA [American Kickboxing Academy] gym in San Jose,” he said.
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