After more than a year, Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to the Octagon in three weeks during the main event of UFC 254 at the Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He will face interim title-holder Justin Gaethje, who overcame Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, in the UAE. The last instance Khabib defended his title, he had romped home with a comfortable submission (rear-naked choke) win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in September 2019.
But things are different for the unbeaten Russian superstar (28-0) this time around. He won't be having his father and trainer -- Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away after contracting the coronavirus -- by his side. However, the champ is confident that he'll do his father proud by defeating Gaethje.