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Conor McGregor: Khabib 'Chickening Out' with UFC 249 Withdrawal Amid Quarantine

John Locher/Associated Press

While the majority of the world is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and the social-distancing measures that come with it in an effort to slow the spread of the disease, MMA fighter Conor McGregor believes Khabib Nurmagomedov is "chickening out" as he is unable to leave Russia.

Nurmagomedov appeared on an Instagram Live chat (h/t ESPN's Ariel Helwani) and said he is stuck in his hometown of Dagestan, Russia, because the borders are closed during the pandemic.

That means he won't be able to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 as originally scheduled on April 18, and McGregor believes he is doing so to avoid the showdown that has been canceled and rescheduled a number of times:

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.