Before UFC 249 fell apart entirely, Khabib Nurmagomedov faced some criticism from the MMA community for leaving the United States to return to Russia to resume his training.
As a result, the UFC lightweight champion was stuck in his home country due to travel restrictions designed to combat the coronavirus pandemic. For a brief period, Justin Gaejthe was tabbed to face Tony Ferguson in an interim title bout, but the promotion’s attempt to move UFC 249 to tribal land in California was eventually halted by Disney and ESPN executives.
In a fan Q&A on YouTube, American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez addressed the accusations that Nurmagomedov was avoiding a long-awaited showdown with Ferguson by traveling to Russia late in his camp.