Lightweight Champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. American Tony Ferguson is off.
On Wednesday, Nurmagomedov announced on Instagram that he won’t be competing since he’s stuck in Russia during the coronavirus pandemic.
Nurmagomedov, who is in Dagestan, was faced with travel restrictions as the Russian government banned travel to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
"I understand everything and I’m definitely upset more than you to cancel the fight, probably like all others, I had many plans after the fight, but I can’t control it all," the fighter wrote.
He noted that every day the situation changes unpredictably.
UFC 249 originally was scheduled to take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., but due to public gathering restrictions and closing of all non-essential businesses by the state government, the UFC was forced to move the event. Since then, nearly 80% of the country is under some form of lockdown as COVID-19 has worsened, MMA Junkie reported.
