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Dana White defends Khabib from backlash after pulling out of UFC 249: This wasn’t his fault

Khabib Nurmagomedov faced a tidal wave of criticism after pulling out of UFC 249, but UFC president Dana White says the undefeated lightweight champion isn’t to blame.

Speaking to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in a recent interview, White explained how Khabib had no choice but to stay in Russia amid concerns over coronavirus.

“Everybody knows that the Khabib fight fell out, and I could go on for ten minutes telling you how that thing fell apart,” White said. “But the reality is, that’s nobody’s fault. Every day when I got up, the rules changed. Things were shutting down, things were closing down.