According to information provided by UFC President Dana White, the venue for the significant event has been found and the date has been set. The bout between lightweight champion Khabib and Tony Ferguson will take place on April 18 this year. At first, the fight was planned in Brooklyn, New York, however, the coronavirus pandemic disrupted all plans and any mass events were canceled in the state. The international Internet portal “Rating of Bookmakers” interviewed Khabib’s father. Here is what Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov said: “There are hardly any people whose nerves are stronger than ours. Neither in the depths of the sea, nor in outer space, there are simply none! This fight is very important for my son, because for seven years Tony has not lost a single time. It seems that the time has come to interrupt the series of these victories. Abdulmanap then also suggested that the decisive meeting would be held on the territory of the United Arab Emirates. It will be the culmination of the 249th UFC tournament. But the head of the largest mixed martial arts organization has so far refrained from a direct answer to the question of where the fight will take place. The only thing that is known for sure is that not a single spectator will be present at the competition. White is quoted by the media as saying: “Yes, I already know where the fight will be, but it’s still too early to talk about it. It will be held behind closed doors, without spectators and fans.” The main thing became clear: the coronavirus could not affect the decision of the two fighters to meet in the ring. Therefore, Nurmagomedov and Ferguson will definitely (hopefully) meet in less than a month. The date remains the same, but the place will be indicated only when the organizers deem it necessary to inform the press about it. It will definitely not be the state of New York because of the situation there and the strict quarantine. Some have speculated that Las Vegas would be the way to go, and this option was considered, but the local authorities seem to have thwarted such attempts. Recall that for the fifth time the UFC is trying to give athletes the opportunity to meet in the ring.
