Khabib Nurmagomedov is urging fans in Dagestan to stay home in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
There have been over 87,000 cases of the coronavirus in Russia and the Kremlin announced that numbers have spiked. Nurmagomedov is urging fans to obey stay-at-home orders until things have simmered down.
Khabib Tells Fans In Dagestan To Stay Home
Nurmagomedov took to his Instagram account to urge fans to take precautions and stay home amid the COVID-19 crisis (h/t Bloody Elbow).
“Many hoped that the trouble would not land on their doorstep; many still do not believe in the seriousness of the situation. However, our negligence to the advice and requests of doctors, coupled with the panic created by the people, led to a high rate of spread of the disease, exacerbating the already difficult situation,” Nurmagomedov said to his 19.8 million followers on Instagram. “The fact is our hospitals are now overcrowded with patients. There are no specialists and not enough medication or supplies, while the number of patients is only growing.”
Nurmagomedov wasn’t able to compete on April 18 due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was scheduled to put his UFC lightweight title on the line against Tony Ferguson. Those plans went awry when Nurmagomedov found himself in Russia, which is under a travel ban. While “The Eagle” insisted he could’ve found a way out of the country, the UFC has moved on with an interim title bout between Ferguson and Justin Gaethje.
Nurmagomedov won’t be fighting until either September or October as he is in the midst of Ramadan. Upon his return, he is expected to face the winner of Ferguson vs. Gaethje in a title unification bout. If all goes according to plan, it would be the third time he puts his UFC lightweight gold on the line. He has successfully defended the title with submission wins over Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
