UFC: Khabib vs Justin Gaethje lightweight title fight official for October 24

UFC president Dana White confirms match-up for all the gold in interview with CNN on Tuesday

Nurmagomedov returns to Octagon after death this month of his father and coach Abdulmanap, from issues related to Covid-19

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Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) after his UFC 242 win over Dustin Poirier. Justin Gaethje (right) after beating Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 for the interim lightweight title. Photo: AP/USA TODAY Sports

Published: 8:33am, 29 Jul 2020Updated: 8:27pm, 29 Jul 2020

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight interim champ Justin Gaethje on October 24 for all the gold.

Dana White made the announcement in an interview on CNN’s World Sport with Don Ridell on Tuesday night.

“It’s gonna happen, I’ll tell you right here, right now,” the UFC president said. “That fight’s gonna happen. Khabib vs Gaethje, October 24.”

The UFC confirmed the fight in an announcement on its social media channels, though did not give a location, nor an official event name – but the date matches up with the UFC 254 pay-per-view on the company’s schedule.

It will mark a return to the Octagon for Nurmagomedov following the death this month of his father and coach Abdulmanap from health issues related to contracting the coronavirus.

The 57-year-old was first taken to hospital in April in the family’s native Dagestan, which has been hit hard by Covid-19, before being airlifted to a Moscow clinic where he was put in a medically-induced coma. The 31-year-old Nurmagomedov gave an interview to Russian media in June saying that Abdulamanap was still in intensive care with damage to his kidneys and his heart.