Justin Gaethje vs Khabib Nurmagomedov set for October 24

The lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is set for his much-anticipated return on October 24th, as per Dana White.

Khabib was set to fight Tony Ferguson on UFC 249, but the matchup got canceled for the 5th time due to travel restriction placed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Tony was matched up against Justin Gaethje for a later event, in which Justin shocked the world by out-striking Ferguson and knocking him out in the 5th round. Justin didn’t seem too happy with the interim belt and immediately called out Khabib for a fight for the real belt.

Khabib’s father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was critical in the hospital for a few weeks, and later died from Covid-19. Knowing how close Khabib is to his father, the MMA world came together to mourn the death of the legendary coach. The MMA world, including his close friends like DC were uncertain about whether or not he will make a comeback.

However Dana White revealed in a recent interview with CNN Sports that the Russian will return to the octagon on 24th October to defend his belt.

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“It’s been very rough on him. His father was a hero to him, he loved his father, they had a very, very close relationship and it was hard on him.“, said Dana White.

Will Khabib Nurmagomedov stay undefeated?

Times have been rough for Khabib Nurmagomedov after he lost his father and coach to Covid-19. His relationship with his father and his love for him was very noticeable, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that a great deal of Khabib’s achievements have come because of the discipline his father taught him. It has obviously been hard for him, and the fact that he still has the courage to get inside that octagon to carry forward his father’s and his legacy is testimony to the champion that he is.

However, we have not heard from him or his manager about how he is currently keeping up. We do not know if and when he will get back to training, and who he will now train under. Justin Gaethje had laid out his plan to face Khabib by staying off the fence and keeping the fight at the center of the cage. Many fighters have planned this before, and none have succeeded. It will be interesting to see if Gaethje is able to stick to his plan and disrupt the undefeated career of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Ali Abdelaziz mentioned earlier that Khabib has 2 more fights left before he retires, and Dana White has shown interesting in a fight between Khabib and GSP before The Eagle’s retirement.

Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov can stay undefeated?