The UFC lightweight champion is using discretion and won't be competing at UFC 249.
Despite COVID-19, UFC 249 is still scheduled for April 18. Now, it's officially without the main event.
Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announced Wednesday on his Instagram page that he won't be facing Tony Ferguson at the show and is at home in Russia under self-quarantine.
"Staying home in quarantine and reading the reaction of people to the situation around my fight, it turns out that the whole world should be in quarantine," Nurmagomedov said. "Governments of all countries, famous people around the world urge people to follow all safety requirements in order to limit the spread of the disease, to save people. Khabib is the only one relieved of all obligations and must demonstrate free will and train flying around the world, for the sake of fight? 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."
Nurmagomedov's status had been up in the air since Monday.
He left his training camp at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., after reportedly being told by the UFC that UFC 249 would likely be taking place in the United Arab Emirates. After getting into the country, Nurmagomedov was told to leave because UAE was going to be closing its borders, and no one would be able to leave or fly into there.
The 31-year-old flew back to Russia to be with his family and continued to train. Ultimately though, Nurmagomedov decided health and safety were more important than squaring off with Ferguson.
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