The UFC has made some baffling moves during its 26 years of existence. However, stripping [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] of his lightweight title would be among the most egregious.
There’s no evidence that taking the belt away from the undefeated Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) is in the UFC’s plans at the moment, but that’s what Tony Ferguson is lobbying for after a fight between the rivals fell apart for the fifth time at UFC 249.
Yes, technically speaking, Nurmagomedov put the final deathblow on the 2020 version of this seemingly forever-cursed matchup. “The Eagle” took to social media on Wednesday and posted an insightful statement explaining why the barriers to him competing in the middle of the global coronavirus pandemic have simply become too much to overcome.
As much as we all want to see the fight, anyone criticizing Nurmagomedov for his decision is misguided. Not everyone is willing to be as bold in the face of this crisis as UFC president Dana White, and Nurmagomedov prioritizing the health and safety of his family and himself isn’t to be questioned.
It’s not like this happened because of a lack of trying, either. Nurmagomedov did what he could. He came to the U.S. to finish his training camp when we all thought UFC 249 would be in Brooklyn, N.Y., then flew back overseas only when he was given the directive that the event was “99.9 percent” likely to take place in the Middle East.
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Nurmagomedov made moves to Abu Dhabi when he thought that’s where the fight would be held, and only returned to Russia when the scope of travel bans continued to tighten around the world, and the risk became too great.
The main narrative that’s come from Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC), and subsequently Conor McGregor, is that Nurmagomedov “bailed out,” “chickened out,” and is somehow scared because he could’ve competed if he really wanted to. And it’s a narrative that’s since been parroted by a section of the MMA fanbase.
Given his perceived relationship with Russian government officials, the idea of Nurmagomedov finding a workaround to the travel ban seems within the realm of possibility. But why? Assuming Nurmagomedov sorted an avenue to leave the country, he would be doing so to go where, exactly? In case everyone forgot, UFC 249 is supposed to be 16 days away, yet there’s no sign the promotion is any closer to securing a venue as it was last week or the week before.
In fact, the list of potential host locations for UFC 249 appears to be shrinking by the day. White can insist that he’s intentionally keeping his cards close to the vest because he believes the media will try to spoil any plans he makes public (a totally warped perspective we can dig into another day), but the media aren’t the only ones in the dark on this.
Not a single fighter or manager who I’ve spoken with in recent days has a clue about plans for UFC 249. The company line to athletes and their representatives is to continue preparing for fight night, but there’s no clarity on whether they’ll be fighting Stateside or internationally. Moreover, given the nature of this pandemic, there’s no guarantee the UFC could lock down a location and venue, fly fighters in on the Tuesday of fight week, only to have the circumstances change for the worse by Saturday.
That would be a stressful situation to endure for a preliminary fighter who is making his debut on a minimum contract. So how about Nurmagomedov? He has worked nearly 12 years to accrue that 28-0 record we herald so much, and now he’s supposed to risk it all by entering arguably his most dangerous fight ever on a fractured training camp with no assurances he’ll be protected from coronavirus contagion?
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It’s not hard to understand why Ferguson is demanding Nurmagomedov be stripped. He wants to get his hands on this man in the worst way and has been waiting more than five years at this point. Ferguson is still in fight mode, so him empathizing with Nurmagomedov’s position is just not going to happen. The hope is these two will fight one day, and that fight is going to need promotional support. In that vein, it’s reasonable for Ferguson to continue stoking the fire of their feud, even if morally objectionable.
The odds of Ferguson’s wish coming true seem slim, though. Regardless of Nurmagomedov’s history of fight withdrawals, or the perception this situation could’ve been avoided, the 31-year-old remains a key figure for the UFC. His star power in Russia is second to none for any UFC fighter in their home country, and his global appeal is considerable, as well. Nurmagomedov is one half of the fight White seems to want more than any other in history, and that’s the rematch with McGregor. Stripping him does nothing but hurt that potential bout.
Taking Nurmagomedov’s belt away seemingly would be punishment for pulling out of this fight, and not an action based off precedent. It would be the UFC cutting off its nose to spite its face. Ultimately any talk of Nurmagomedov being stripped is likely to become a moot point, though, because UFC 249 might not happen at all. The logistical challenges this event faces remain the same whether Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson is on the card or not, so there might be a demand for Nurmagomedov to be stripped of a title that wasn’t going to be defended, anyway.
How does that make any sense? It doesn’t.
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